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How to Make Ants Climbing a Tree

Ants Climbing a Tree is a classic Sichuan dish, primarily made with glass noodles and minced meat. It is savory, slightly spicy, and deeply flavorful, with soft, smooth noodles and tender, fragrant minced meat. The entire process takes only 20 minutes, making it an excellent dish for home cooking.

Estimated Cooking Difficulty: ★★★

Essential Ingredients and Tools

  • Sweet potato glass noodles
  • Minced pork (or minced beef)
  • Pixian doubanjiang (broad bean paste)
  • Light soy sauce
  • Dark soy sauce
  • Cooking oil
  • Minced garlic, minced ginger
  • Green onions (optional)

Measurements

Before each preparation, determine how many servings you wish to make. One serving is sufficient for 2 people.

Per serving:

  • Sweet potato glass noodles: 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 (for boiling the noodles)

Instructions

  • Soak the sweet potato glass noodles in advance for 20 minutes until soft, then set aside.
  • Finely mince the garlic and ginger separately, and set aside.
  • Heat a wok or pan, add 10ml of 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 begins to release a little oil.
  • Add the Pixian doubanjiang and stir-fry until red oil is released.
  • Add the light soy sauce and dark soy sauce, and stir-fry evenly.
  • Pour in 300ml of water and bring to a boil.
  • Add the soaked and drained glass noodles, gently stirring with chopsticks to prevent sticking.
  • Simmer over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes until the noodles have completely absorbed the sauce and appear slightly dried.
  • Garnish with chopped green onions according to taste, turn off the heat, and serve.

Additional Notes

  • Avoid boiling the noodles for too long, as they may break and lose their texture; if cooking time is extended, reduce the amount of sauce accordingly.
  • Pixian doubanjiang has a high salt content, so adjust the amount of light soy sauce to taste.
  • For enhanced flavor, you can add 0.5g of white pepper.

If you encounter any issues or have suggestions for improvement while following this guide, please submit an Issue or Pull request.