No worries, no ants were harmed in the making of this classic Sichuan dish (I suppose!) Despite it’s odd name, It is a spicy stir fry with minced pork, fermented bean paste and glass noodles that is easy to prepare!
But why the name?!!!! This stir fry dish has ground pork bits clinging to the noodles, hence resemble the image of ants climbing on a tree - a very creative yet weird imagination though.
Serve 4
Ingredients you will need
300g minced pork
250g dried glass noodles*
2 spring onions, chopped
5 shallots, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 medium chilli, sliced
1 tbsp cooking oil
Cooking sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp fermented bean paste^
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine (optional)
1 tbsp oyster sauce (optional)
Instruction
Soak the glass noodles* in hot water for 15 mins or until it turns half transparent and soften, then drain the water.
Mix the ingredients for the cooking sauce in a small bowl, set aside.
Heat a frying pan/wok over high heat with cooking oil, add shallots, garlic and chilli, sauté for 3mins until aromatic.
Add minced pork and stir fry for 8-10mins until the pork is fully cooking.
Turn to medium heat, add glass noodles to the wok and stir well.
Pour in the cooking sauce, sauté for 10mins until the noodles are tender and transparent.
Garnish with even more chilli if wished and serve hot.
*This soaking method is for fine glass noodles like mung bean vermicelli noodles only. If you are using medium glass noddles like sweet potato starch noodles or any cellophane noodles that is in medium thickness, you will need to pre-cook the noodle until al dente in boiling water for at leats 5-10mins.
^You can subtitle this with 2 tsp chilli powder.
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