Ants Climbing a Tree (Wormy Noodles with Minced Meat)
Ants Climbing a Tree (Wormy Noodles with Minced Meat) is a home-style meat dish at difficulty 3/5 (Intermediate), about 791 kcal. Ants Climbing a Tree is a classic Sichuan home-style dish. Ingredients and step-by-step instructions are below, with notes for home cooking.
3 / 5
★★★☆☆
791 kcal
Ingredients
- Sweet potato vermicelli/glass noodles
- Minced pork (or beef)
- Pixian doubanjiang (Pixian broad bean chili paste)
- Light soy sauce
- Dark soy sauce
- Cooking oil
- Garlic, ginger
- Green onions (optional)
Steps
- Soak the sweet potato vermicelli in water for 20 minutes until soft, then set aside.
- Chop the garlic and ginger separately, then set aside.
- Heat the pan over heat, add 10ml cooking oil, and stir-fry the minced garlic and ginger until fragrant.
- Add the minced pork and stir-fry until the meat turns **white and releases a little oil**.
- Add Pixian doubanjiang and stir-fry until **red oil separates**.
- Add light soy sauce and dark soy sauce, stir fry evenly.
- Pour in 300ml of water, bring to a boil.
- Add the drained vermicelli, and use chopsticks to gently stir to prevent sticking.
- Simmer over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes until the vermicelli is **completely absorbed by the sauce** and the sauce is slightly reduced.
- Optional: Sprinkle chopped green onions, turn off the heat, and serve.
Notes
Ants Climbing a Tree is a classic Sichuan home-style dish. It is salty, savory, and slightly spicy. The vermicelli is soft and spongy, soaking up the sauce, while the minced meat is tender and fragrant. Main ingredients are sweet potato vermicelli and minced meat, rich in carbohydrates and protein for quick energy replenishment. Difficulty: Medium. Clear steps, beginner-friendly. Takes about 20 minutes to complete.
Estimated Cooking Difficulty: ★★★
Estimated Calories: 791 kcal
Calculations:
Determine how many servings you want before starting. One serving is enough for 2 people.
Per Serving:
- Sweet potato vermicelli 80g (dry weight)
- Minced pork 150g
- Pixian doubanjiang 15g
- Light soy sauce 10ml
- Dark soy sauce 5ml
- Cooking oil 10ml
- Minced garlic 10g
- Minced ginger 5g
- Water 300ml (to cook the vermicelli)
- Do not cook the vermicelli for too long, or it will break and the texture will become mushy. If cooking time is long, reduce the amount of soup accordingly.
- Pixian doubanjiang is high in salt. Adjust the amount of light soy sauce according to taste.
- Adding 0.5g of white pepper can enhance the flavor.
If you find any issues or areas for improvement following this guide, please open an Issue or Pull Request.