Ants Climbing a Tree
Ants Climbing a Tree - while it's impossible to know the exact origins of this popular Szechuan dish, it's thought that the "ants" in the name refer to the tiny bits of ground pork that cling to pieces of stir-fried vermicelli (the "tree" ).
This dish is often made with a hot red chili peppers and chili sauce. However, if pulling on a pair of plastic gloves to seed and slice hot peppers seems like too much work on busy weeknights, another option is to skip them and increase the chili sauce.
The main challenge in preparing Ants Climbing a Tree is stir-frying with vermicelli noodles. Made from mung bean starch, vermicelli noodles (also known as glass and bean thread noodles), need to be soaked and softened before stir-frying. The softened noodles are incredibly absorbent - perfect for soaking up the flavors of the sauce! - but a large clump of them can be difficult to work with. The noodles come in packets wrapped in string - I find it works best to leave the string on during soaking, drain the noodles, and then cut them into manageable sections. This will make them easier to handle once you add them to the other ingredients in the wok.
Another option, which removes any need for soaking the noodles, is to deep-fry them. When added to the hot oil, the noodles quickly puff up and become crispy. Set the deep-fried noodles aside, prepare the other ingredients and then pour the sauce over. The end result is less flavorful - the noodles don't absorb as much sauce - but young children love watching them "grow" in the wok.
One final note: there are a number of variations on the name of this recipe, from Ants Climbing up a Log or Hill, to Ants Creeping Up a Tree. However, they all refer to the same basic dish.
Here is my recipe for Ants Climbing a Tree. I hope you enjoy it!
Ants Climbing a Tree:
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1/2 pound ground pork
Marinade:
Directions:
1. Combine the marinade ingredients and marinate the ground pork for about 10 minutes.
2. Without removing the string wrapping around the transparent noodles, soak in hot water until they are pliable (about 5 minutes). Drain well. Cut the noodles into shorter lengths and then remove the string wrapping.
3. In a wok or large frying pan, add oil for stir-frying. Add the chopped chili and ginger. Add the marinated pork. Once the pork has changed color, add the chili sauce, stirring in. Add the noodles, stirring. Add the water and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed. Serve hot.
Variations: Sprinkle in a few drops of sesame oil at the end of cooking.
This dish is often made with a hot red chili peppers and chili sauce. However, if pulling on a pair of plastic gloves to seed and slice hot peppers seems like too much work on busy weeknights, another option is to skip them and increase the chili sauce.
The main challenge in preparing Ants Climbing a Tree is stir-frying with vermicelli noodles. Made from mung bean starch, vermicelli noodles (also known as glass and bean thread noodles), need to be soaked and softened before stir-frying. The softened noodles are incredibly absorbent - perfect for soaking up the flavors of the sauce! - but a large clump of them can be difficult to work with. The noodles come in packets wrapped in string - I find it works best to leave the string on during soaking, drain the noodles, and then cut them into manageable sections. This will make them easier to handle once you add them to the other ingredients in the wok.
Another option, which removes any need for soaking the noodles, is to deep-fry them. When added to the hot oil, the noodles quickly puff up and become crispy. Set the deep-fried noodles aside, prepare the other ingredients and then pour the sauce over. The end result is less flavorful - the noodles don't absorb as much sauce - but young children love watching them "grow" in the wok.
One final note: there are a number of variations on the name of this recipe, from Ants Climbing up a Log or Hill, to Ants Creeping Up a Tree. However, they all refer to the same basic dish.
Here is my recipe for Ants Climbing a Tree. I hope you enjoy it!
Ants Climbing a Tree:
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1/2 pound ground pork
Marinade:
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce or Kikkoman
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
. - 1 small red chili, seeded and chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon chili bean sauce (increase to 1 tablespoon if not using the red chili)
- 2 slices ginger, finely chopped
- 2 green onions, chopped, green and white sections
- 4 ounces transparent bean thread noodles (also known also vermicelli or glass noodles)
- 1/4 cup water
- Oil for stir-frying
Directions:
1. Combine the marinade ingredients and marinate the ground pork for about 10 minutes.
2. Without removing the string wrapping around the transparent noodles, soak in hot water until they are pliable (about 5 minutes). Drain well. Cut the noodles into shorter lengths and then remove the string wrapping.
3. In a wok or large frying pan, add oil for stir-frying. Add the chopped chili and ginger. Add the marinated pork. Once the pork has changed color, add the chili sauce, stirring in. Add the noodles, stirring. Add the water and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed. Serve hot.
Variations: Sprinkle in a few drops of sesame oil at the end of cooking.
