Ma-yi Shang Shu – Ants Climbing a Tree – The Chinese give interesting and descriptive names to many of their dishes. Strange flavor chicken, pock marked old lady tofu, double-cooked pork, etc. Ants climbing a tree is a great example. Transparent vermicelli noodles are turned red from hot bean sauce to look like tree limbs. When mixed mixed with ground pork, the whole thing looks like ants clinging to the noodles. Although the taste of this delicious dish is similar to Mapo Dofu, the texture becomes completely different when tofu is replaced by the vermicelli.

Sichuan Ants Climbing a Tree

Although Ants Climbing a Tree is not a particularly appetizing name for a dish, it can be made fairly quickly and can be served alone or as one of many dishes in a Sichuan dinner. It's also really, really good.

5 from 2 votes

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Course: Lunch, Snack

Cuisine: Chinese, Sichuan, Western China

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 30

Servings:

Author: My Hungry Traveler

Equipment

Wok
Colander
Small bowl

Ingredients

4 oz Transparent bean threads
¼ lb Ground pork
1 tbsp Ginger, minced
3 tbsp Scallion, chopped
1 tbsp Garlic, minced
2 medium Red chili pepper, dried or fresh, seeded and chopped
3 whole Dried shiitake mushrooms
4 tbsp Oil
2 tbsp Doubanjiang hot bean sauce

Seasonings

1 cup Chicken broth
1 tbsp Rice wine (or sherry)
1 tbsp Soy sauce
1 tsp Salt

US Customary – Metric

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Instructions

Prep

Soften vermicelli and dried mushrooms' in a bowl with very hot water. Drain in a colander in the sink. Separate out the mushrooms and cut into ½-inch pieces., cutting around and discarding the hard stems. Cut the vermicelli into 2-3-inch lengths and return to colander.
Mix the seasonings and broth in a small bowl and add mushroom pieces.

Cook Dish

Heat oil in a wok over high heat. Stir-fry the pork over high heat until gray. Immediately add the scallion, garlic, chopped chilies, and hot bean sauce. When the pork and ginger have absorbed the red color of the bean sauce, add the seasonings and broth. Reduce the heat to medium and mix in the vermicelli. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has been absorbed by the noodles, about 2-3 minutes. Adjust salt and transfer to a serving bowl.