The vermicelli noodles are soft and chewy, having absorbed the savory, slightly numbing and spicy broth, resulting in a glossy, fiery red dish.
Ants Climbing a Tree is a classic Sichuan dish where the "tree" refers to cellophane noodles or vermicelli, and the "ants" are minced beef or pork. The highlight of this dish is how well it pairs with rice—pick up a strand of noodle that has soaked up all the savory sauce, coated with minced meat, and gently place it over a mound of rice; instantly, the rice turns a tempting red. Scoop up a big mouthful of rice and noodles with your chopsticks, and you'll experience a subtle spiciness with a hint of numbing fragrance, rich beef flavor, and the soft, chewy texture of the noodles, taking you on a flavor journey! Such a simple, low-cost dish can bring you this much enjoyment.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
120 g dried vermicelli noodles (about 4 oz)
100 g (about 3.5 oz) beef
Both cellophane noodles and vermicelli work here. Vermicelli tends to clump together quickly, but its thinness allows it to absorb more flavor. Whichever you choose, opt for high-quality potato or sweet potato starch noodles. For the meat, beef is the most aromatic choice, though pork also works well.
Additional Ingredients
celery, to taste
Seasonings
25 g Sichuan Pixian broad bean paste
10 g (about 2 teaspoons) Shaoxing wine
2 g (about 1/2 teaspoon) Sichuan peppercorn oil
5 g (about 1 teaspoon) sugar
10 g (about 2 teaspoons) dark soy sauce
Ginger, to taste
Instructions
Instructions
Preparation
Step 1: Soak the vermicelli in hot water until softened (Image 2). Finely mince the beef, finely dice the celery, finely mince the ginger, and finely chop the Sichuan Pixian broad bean paste; set aside (Image 3).
*The vermicelli must be soaked until completely soft, and the ground beef should be minced as finely as possible so it clings to the noodles.
*The Pixian broad bean paste must also be chopped very finely so that the red oil and aroma can be fully released.
Stir-fry over high heat until fragrant.
Step 2: Pour some oil into a wok and heat to around 140°C (285°F). Add the ground beef and minced ginger, then stir-fry over medium heat until the moisture evaporates, about 2 minutes (Image 4). Next, add Pixian broad bean paste and stir-fry slowly over medium-low heat (Image 5) until the oil turns red and fragrant (Image 6). Then add Shaoxing wine and soy sauce, turn up the heat to high and stir-fry quickly, immediately add some hot water, along with sugar and Sichuan pepper oil, and bring to a boil (Image 7).
*When stir-frying this dish, use a bit more oil than usual, as you'll need to dry-fry the ground beef and Pixian broad bean paste; too little oil and they won't cook properly, the aroma won't release, and the pan will scorch.
*When stir-frying the ground beef, it will release moisture as it heats, keeping the meat in a water-oil mixture. Continue stir-frying slowly until the moisture evaporates and the beef becomes dry, leaving only oil—that's the perfect moment to add the Pixian broad bean paste.
*After adding the rice wine and soy sauce, stir-fry over high heat quickly, as the Pixian broad bean paste has already been cooked sufficiently; stir-frying over high heat for too long will definitely cause the pan to scorch.
Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the vermicelli noodles and cook until softened, then drain and set aside.
③ Add the soaked vermicelli to the broth, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium heat and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add finely chopped celery, stir to combine, and it's ready (Figure 8).
*The amount of water doesn't need to be too large; it's fine if there's still a little broth left when you take it off the heat. If you add too much water, by the time the liquid has reduced enough, the vermicelli will have turned mushy; if you add too little, the vermicelli will continue to absorb moisture after being plated, and the dish will lose its shape.
*The celery here serves both to cut the richness and add texture, as well as to provide a decorative touch.
*Both Pixian broad bean paste and soy sauce are salty, so there's no need to add extra salt.
Take your cooking to the next level
In classic Sichuan cooking, besides soaking dried vermicelli in water as shown here, another method is to deep-fry the vermicelli before proceeding with the next steps. When the vermicelli is heated or hits hot oil, it puffs up and turns white like fried shrimp crackers; then, when added directly to the broth and simmered until soft, the texture is excellent. Additionally, ground beef can clump together when stir-fried directly, making it difficult to cling to the vermicelli. If you don't mind the extra effort, you can dry-fry the ground beef twice—first in the pan, then take it out and chop it a bit, then fry it again—this helps the beef adhere better to the vermicelli.