Ants Climbing a Tree (Mayi Shangshu, 蚂蚁上树)
Ingredients
- 2 bunches dry mung bean thread noodle 90 grams (or ~200g sweet potato noodle)
- 1 bunch scallions, washed and finely minced, divided
- 1 thumb fresh ginger, washed and finely minced 15 grams
- 5 large cloves fresh garlic, peeled and finely minced 30 grams
- ½ cup Yibin suimiyacai 65 grams
- 2 tablespoons caiziyou (Chinese roasted rapeseed oil), divided
- 3 ounces fresh ground pork 90 grams
- ½ tablespoon Chinese light soy sauce (Zhongba preferred)
- splash huangjiu/liaojiu (yellow rice wine/cooking rice wine) approx. 1 tablespoon
- 1 tablespoon Pixian hongyou doubanjiang (spicy red-oil broad bean paste)
- 1½ cups water or stock more or less as needed
- ground huajiao (Sichuan pepper) (see note) more or less to taste
- drizzle toasted sesame oil optional, recommended if subbing sweet potato noodle
Instructions
Prep
- Soak the bean thread noodles for 20-30 minutes in a medium bowl with enough water to totally submerge the noodles. Trim in half with kitchen shears, wash, drain and set aside. (If using sweet potato noodles, soak in warm water at least 30 minutes or until pliable.)
- Mince the scallion, ginger, garlic and yacai. Reserve some of the green scallion tips for garnishing and set aside.
Cook
- In a wide wok or skillet, dry-sear the yacai over low-medium heat until fragrant. Depan and set aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the caiziyou over medium-high heat until smoking. Fry the ground pork, breaking up pieces into small bits. Add the ½ tablespoon of soy sauce and splash of rice wine. Stirfry until most of the liquid has reduced, then depan cooked pork onto a cutting board and mince finely again.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of caiziyou to the wok or skillet and heat until smoking. Add ginger, then garlic, and fry briefly until fragrant, then add back the yacai and toss to combine. Return the minced pork to the pan and add 1 tablespoon of doubanjiang while stir-frying until fragrant. Add the trimmed and drained noodles and 1½ cups of water (or stock) until the noodles are just covered by the liquid. Mix well and bring to a boil, then cover with a lid and simmer 5 minutes on low-medium heat or until noodles are cooked through and tender. (Sweet potato noodles will take at least 7-10 minutes.) Don't let the noodles cook dry, so if you need to add more water after 5 minutes do so.
- Once noodles are done to your liking, simmer uncovered to reduce any remaining pooled liquid. I like to leave a little thickened sauciness. Finally, turn off the heat and add minced scallion, huajiao and a drizzle of sesame oil (optional, recommended if subbing sweet potato noodle), tossing well to combine. Depan into a serving bowl or plate and garnish with the reserved scallion tips and extra huajiao to taste. Serve immediately or keep warm until ready to eat.
Notes
GROUND HUAJIAO (Sichuan pepper):
Toast whole huajiao in a dry skillet until pods start to smell very fragrant, but do not brown them. Let peppercorns cool, then grind in a spice grinder or in a mortar + pestle to your desired coarseness. Sichuan pepper powder will retain its potent flavor and numbing punch for only a few weeks.
- You may snip the soaked noodles in half with a pair of scissors for ease of serving later, if you wish.