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蚂蚁上树
蚂蚁上树, or Ants climbing trees has become something of a favourite chez nous recently. It's a Sichuan noodle dish, and this version comes from the book of the TV series Exploring China, where Ken Hom and Ching-He Huang travelled round China, making and eating food from the various regions of the country, and well as reflecting on what it means to be Chinese living abroad. The name refers to how the mince clings to the noodles in the finished dish.
These quantities feed 2 people; it's pretty more-ish, so we never have left-overs! You can fling some quick-cook veg (e.g. sugar-snap peas) in with the noodles if you want some more vitamins. It packs a reasonable chilli kick, too...
2 tbsp groundnut oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed (and chopped a bit if necessary)
1 tbsp grated ginger (I go for a "lump")
1 red chilli, chopped [the recipe says de-seed, which makes it a bit less hot]
250g minced beef
1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp chilli bean paste.
200ml chicken stock (hot; I just make up a stock-pot thingy)
noodles [recipe says "150g mung bean noodles pre-soaked in hot water for 10 minutes then drained"; I can never find them, so just cook some Sharwoods dry noodles per the packet instructions]
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 large spring onions, chopped
Start by boiling water to cook the noodles; once that's under-way, make a start on preparing the other ingredients. I usually find I've finished cooking the noodles a little before I'm ready to start on cooking everything else.
Things that say "chopped" should be chopped pretty finely. I do the spring onions first, then set them aside (before the knife gets chilli on it). You want everything ready before you start cooking, as it's pretty quick from that point!
Heat your wok over the highest heat you can manage; add oil, and let it get as hot as you dare. Add the ginger, garlic, and chilli, and stir-fry for a few seconds. Add the mince, and stir-fry until it's all browned (if it's watery, let that bubble off quickly). Add rice wine, soy sauce, and chilli bean paste, and stir well to mix.
Add stock, bring to the boil. Then add the noodles, and stir well. This takes a few minutes, while the stock is absorbed and/or boiled off (keep your hob on max). Then add the seasame oil and fling in the spring onion; stir to mix and serve immediately.
At least some large supermarkets will do Shaoxing rice wine and chilli bean paste these days; I've never found anywhere that does mung bean noodles, but I dare say some of the oriental shops on Mill Rd would...
These quantities feed 2 people; it's pretty more-ish, so we never have left-overs! You can fling some quick-cook veg (e.g. sugar-snap peas) in with the noodles if you want some more vitamins. It packs a reasonable chilli kick, too...
2 tbsp groundnut oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed (and chopped a bit if necessary)
1 tbsp grated ginger (I go for a "lump")
1 red chilli, chopped [the recipe says de-seed, which makes it a bit less hot]
250g minced beef
1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp chilli bean paste.
200ml chicken stock (hot; I just make up a stock-pot thingy)
noodles [recipe says "150g mung bean noodles pre-soaked in hot water for 10 minutes then drained"; I can never find them, so just cook some Sharwoods dry noodles per the packet instructions]
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 large spring onions, chopped
Start by boiling water to cook the noodles; once that's under-way, make a start on preparing the other ingredients. I usually find I've finished cooking the noodles a little before I'm ready to start on cooking everything else.
Things that say "chopped" should be chopped pretty finely. I do the spring onions first, then set them aside (before the knife gets chilli on it). You want everything ready before you start cooking, as it's pretty quick from that point!
Heat your wok over the highest heat you can manage; add oil, and let it get as hot as you dare. Add the ginger, garlic, and chilli, and stir-fry for a few seconds. Add the mince, and stir-fry until it's all browned (if it's watery, let that bubble off quickly). Add rice wine, soy sauce, and chilli bean paste, and stir well to mix.
Add stock, bring to the boil. Then add the noodles, and stir well. This takes a few minutes, while the stock is absorbed and/or boiled off (keep your hob on max). Then add the seasame oil and fling in the spring onion; stir to mix and serve immediately.
At least some large supermarkets will do Shaoxing rice wine and chilli bean paste these days; I've never found anywhere that does mung bean noodles, but I dare say some of the oriental shops on Mill Rd would...
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Yes, Winfield 58 does, or did last time I was living in Cambridge...
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