Sichuan Bo Bo Ji (钵钵鸡)

Bo Bo Ji is a Leshan-born street food tradition: dozens of skewers — meat, offal, tofu, vegetables — lowered into a communal clay pot (the bo bo) filled with a fragrant, numbing red chilli oil sauce. Diners pull their own skewers and eat standing at roadside stalls or crouching on low stools, with cold sesame versions popular in summer and spiced hot versions in winter.

Serves: 4 as a snack

Ingredients

For the skewers (choose 3–4 types):

• 200g (7 oz) poached chicken breast, thinly sliced
• 100g (3½ oz) chicken gizzards, cleaned and poached 20 minutes
• 150g (5½ oz) silken tofu, cut into cubes
• 100g (3½ oz) lotus root, thinly sliced and blanched
• 100g (3½ oz) beef tripe, pre-cooked and sliced

For the bo bo sauce:

• 4 tbsp (60 ml) chilli oil with sediment
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) sesame oil
• 1 tbsp (15 g) sesame paste or peanut butter
• 1 tsp (5 ml) Chinkiang black vinegar
• 1 tsp (5 g) sugar
• 1 tsp (3 g) roasted ground Sichuan pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp (5 g) minced fresh ginger
• 3 tbsp (45 ml) cold poaching liquid or water, to thin

Instructions

1. Thread all prepared ingredients onto bamboo skewers (one ingredient type per skewer).
2. Whisk together all sauce ingredients in a wide, deep bowl or pot until smooth. Taste and adjust — it should be simultaneously fiery, numbing, savory, and slightly sweet.
3. Submerge all skewers in the sauce and let stand at least 20 minutes for cold bo bo ji, or serve warm by gently heating the sauce without boiling.
4. Lay skewers across the bowl or pot. Diners pick up skewers and eat directly, dipping back into the sauce as they go.

Cook's Notes: The Sichuan pepper must be freshly roasted and ground — pre-ground versions lose their numbing compound (hydroxy-alpha-sanshool) quickly. The offal items — gizzards and tripe — are the soul of an authentic bo bo ji; do not omit them entirely. Tofu and lotus root are good for balance.