Ants Climbing Up A Tree (Vegan) 螞蟻上樹
螞蟻上樹 Ants Climbing Up A Tree is a popular and delicious Chinese dish. Traditionally it is made with minced meat (ground pork) and vermicelli noodles, and it gets its peculiar name from how the noodles look when the ground pork cling onto the bean thread noodles – they resemble ants climbing up a tree. This quick and easy Sichuan dish can be made in just 20 minutes! It is vegan dietary inclusive with plantbased meat alternative crumbles.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 5 min
- Yield
- 2 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1/2 lbs Ground Pork Minced Meat or Plant-Based Meat Alternative
- 2 bundles (250g) Mung Bean Vermicelli Noodles
- 5 Cloves of Fresh Garlic, minced
- 2 tsp Fresh Ginger, minced
- 2 tbsp Spicy Douban Paste
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing Wine
- 1 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 2 tsp Ground White Pepper Powder
- 1 tsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 C Finely Chopped Green Onions, reserve some for garnish
- 1/4 C Finely Chopped Cilantro, reserve some for garnish
- 2 Bird's Eye Chili, fine chopped and deseed
- 2 tbsp Cornstarch Slurry (dissolved cornstarch in water), optional
Instructions
- 1
Soak the mung bean noodles in room temperature or cold water in a large bowl for 15 minutes before cooking them.
- 2
Cook the resuscitated noodles in a large pot of boiling water for 30 seconds.
- 3
Drain and rinse cooked noodles under cold water. Drain excess water and set aside.
- 4
Add vegetable oil to a wok or non-stick pan and heat to medium-high heat.
- 5
Once the oil is hot, add minced ginger, garlic cloves, and chopped onions or shallots. Sautee until fragrant.
- 6
Add ground pork minced meat and let brown.
- 7
Push the browning meat to one side of the wok and add spicy fermented bean sauce. Allow the sauce to cook before folding in partially cooked ground pork.
- 8
Add finely chopped green onion, cilantro, bird's eye chilli, ground white pepper, and Shaoxing wine, and let it evaporate. Continue to stir-fry.
- 9
Add parboiled vermicelli and a little bit of drinking water.
- 10
Add dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, and brown sugar and bring to a boil.
- 11
Continue to stir-fry the spicy noodles until the liquid reduces.
- 12
You may add a bit of cornstarch slurry to tighten the sauce.
- 13
Serve and enjoy hot steamed white jasmine rice is recommended!