**Ants Climbing a Tree: A Flavorful Sichuan Dish with a Unique Presentation**
Savor the delightful flavors of Ants Climbing a Tree, a classic Sichuan dish that tantalizes the taste buds with its combination of savory, spicy, and aromatic ingredients. This dish, also known as Ants Ascending a Tree or Ants on a Tree, features tender and flavorful minced pork clinging to translucent mung bean noodles, resembling ants climbing up a tree. The highlight of this dish is the aromatic and slightly numbing sauce made from Sichuan peppercorns, ginger, garlic, and other spices, which coats the noodles and pork, creating a symphony of flavors in every bite. Discover two variations of this beloved dish in this article: the classic Ants Climbing a Tree recipe and a vegetarian version that uses shiitake mushrooms instead of pork. Both recipes offer a unique culinary experience, perfect for those seeking authentic Sichuan flavors or a creative meatless option.
ANTS CLIMBING A TREE (MA YI SHANG SHU)
Ants Climbing a Tree (ma yi shang shu - 蚂蚁上树) is a classic Sichuan dish of glass noodles in a delicious sauce with ground pork. Our recipe is beyond easy.
Provided by Judy
Categories Noodles and Pasta
Time 20m
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Soak the dry noodles in cold water for 10 minutes. Rinse, drain and set aside. In a wok over medium heat, add the oil and minced ginger. Cook the ginger for about a minute, and add the spicy bean sauce. Let that cook for another minute, and then add the ground pork (or chicken). Stir-fry until the meat is cooked through.
- Add the chicken stock, sugar, dark soy sauce, and light soy sauce. Bring everything to boil. Once boiling, add the glass noodles and scallions. Quickly stir everything together for 1-2 minutes. Serve alone, or with steamed rice!
- Seriously. How easy was that?
Nutrition Facts : Calories 479 kcal, Carbohydrate 58 g, Protein 16 g, Fat 21 g, SaturatedFat 5 g, Cholesterol 41 mg, Sodium 806 mg, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 3 g, ServingSize 1 serving
ANTS CLIMBING A TREE (SICHUAN SPICY VERMICELLI STIR-FRY)
"Ants on a tree" is one of most well known Sichuan dishes. It is a combination of ground pork and mung bean vermicelli. In addition to that, we use Sichuan peppercorn powder, topped with fresh green onion, it is a very good main course for your dining table.
Provided by Tao,RN
Categories World Cuisine Recipes Asian Chinese
Time 35m
Yield 4
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Place vermicelli in a bowl and cover with water; soak for at least 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until you can feel the heat above the pan. Put in ground pork; cook and stir until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons soy sauce. Stir in peppercorn powder until evenly distributed. Add water and bring to a boil.
- Add drained vermicelli and mix evenly with the pork. Cook until all water has evaporated, about 5 more minutes. Taste and add more soy sauce if not salty enough for you.
- Transfer to a serving plate and top with green onions.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 454.3 calories, Carbohydrate 60.8 g, Cholesterol 36.7 mg, Fat 18.4 g, Fiber 0.5 g, Protein 10.3 g, SaturatedFat 4.6 g, Sodium 488 mg, Sugar 0.2 g
ANTS IN TREES
Provided by Alton Brown
Time 50m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Soak the noodles in enough hot water to cover by 1 inch for 20 minutes. Use kitchen shears to cut the noodles into 3 to 4-inch pieces and drain thoroughly in a colander for 10 minutes.
- Combine the soy sauce, rice wine, and chili paste in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the cornstarch and whisk until combined. Add the pork and mix until thoroughly integrated. Set aside for 30 minutes.
- Place a 12-inch saute pan over high heat for 1 minute. Add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Once the oil shimmers, add the meat mixture. Stir constantly for 2 minutes, breaking the meat up into very small pieces. Add 2/3 of the green onions and continue cooking and stirring until the meat is well browned and in very small pieces, approximately 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the broth. Cook until reduced, approximately 3 minutes.
- Slowly add handfuls of the noodles to the pan, tossing with the meat mixture until combined and the pieces of meat cling to the noodles and no liquid remains. Serve immediately with the remaining green onions.
ANTS CLIMBING A TREE
There are no insects in this Sichuan noodle dish; rather, the name Ants Climbing a Tree refers to the way the bits of pork cling to the noodles.
Provided by Diana Kuan
Yield Serves 4
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- In a large bowl, soak the vermicelli in enough warm water to cover for 10 minutes. Drain, shake off excess water, and set aside.
- Rinse the black beans to remove any grit. In a small bowl, mash the black beans with the back of a spoon for about 20 seconds (it does not need to be a smooth paste).
- In a small bowl, stir together the soy. sauce, Sichuan chile oil, and sesame oil. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix 2 Tbsp. of the Chinese rice wine with the ground pork.
- Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat until a bead of water sizzles and evaporates on contact. Add the vegetable oil and swirl to coat the bottom. Add the pork and stir-fry, breaking up the pork with a spatula, until crispy and starting to brown but not yet dry, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, then add the scallion whites, garlic, ginger, and fermented black beans and stir-fry for another 30 seconds. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp. rice wine and use the spatula to scrape up any bits that might be stuck to the bottom of the pan.
- Add the stock, the drained noodles, and the Sichuan chili oil mixture. Simmer the noodles, tossing carefully with tongs so they get evenly cooked, until the broth is half absorbed, 3 to 4 minutes. (The vermicelli noodles will still absorb a lot of liquid post-cooking.) Transfer everything to a deep serving bowl, garnish with the scallion greens, and serve.
ANTS CLIMBING A TREE
This recipe is from the January/February 1991 issue of Chile Pepper magazine. The intro to the recipe says, "In this dish, the bits of pork are supposed to resemble ants. It is made with transparent bean threads. Make sure you don't use rice noodles, which have a similar appearance." Serves 2 by itself or more with other dishes. Heat scale: medium. My ex-husband made this dish regularly, as it was one of his favorites; at the time, my tastes hadn't quite developed enough to appreciate it fully. Now I have come to really treasure this dish.
Provided by mersaydees
Categories Pork
Time 35m
Yield 2 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Mix together all the sauce ingredients.
- In a pre-heated wok over high heat, add the peanut oil. When the oil just begins to smoke, add the ginger, green onion, chiles, pork, carrot, and the mushroom, and stir-fry until the pork is well-browned.
- Add the bean sauce and stir-fry for about 15 seconds or until combined thoroughly with the other ingredients.
- Add the bean threads and sauce. Cook over medium high heat until the sauce is thickened and the bean threads just begin to stick to the wok.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 258.2, Fat 16.3, SaturatedFat 3.8, Cholesterol 47.6, Sodium 921.2, Carbohydrate 6.5, Fiber 1.7, Sugar 2.5, Protein 19.7
Tips:
- Use fresh ingredients: Fresh vegetables, herbs, and spices will give your Ants Climbing a Tree the best flavor. If possible, try to use organic ingredients.
- Don't overcook the noodles: The noodles should be cooked al dente, meaning they should still have a slight bite to them. Overcooked noodles will be mushy and unpleasant to eat.
- Use a variety of vegetables: This will not only add flavor and color to your dish, but it will also make it more nutritious. Some good choices include carrots, celery, bell peppers, and snow peas.
- Don't be afraid to experiment: There are many different ways to make Ants Climbing a Tree. Feel free to add your own favorite ingredients or adjust the recipe to suit your taste.
Conclusion:
Ants Climbing a Tree is a delicious and easy-to-make dish that is perfect for a quick and healthy meal. With its combination of fresh vegetables, flavorful sauce, and tender noodles, this dish is sure to be a hit with everyone at the table. So next time you're looking for a new and exciting recipe to try, Ants Climbing a Tree is a great option.
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