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Ants Climbing a Tree

Ants Climbing a Tree also known as Ma Yi Shang Shu is a classic Sichuan Chinese dish made with super crispy ground pork, plenty of soft cabbage and carrots, and noodles all intertwined in an intensely savory, salty, and spicy sauce. Easy to make and so much better than takeout!

Ingredients

    • 1/2 lb rice, bean or egg vermicelli
    • 2 tsp sesame oil
    • 1 lb ground pork
    • 5 cups shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix (you can either use plain shredded cabbage or a mix of cabbage, carrots, and purple cabbage)
    • 4 large garlic cloved, minced
    • 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
    • 2 tbsp Doubanjiang bean paste
    • 1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
    • 2 tsp rice vinegar
    • 1 tsp brown sugar
    • 1/2 cup chicken stock
    • 3 green onions, sliced

Directions

  1. Cook noodles according to package instructions. Rinse, you don't need the extra starch.
  2. Heat a large wok or saute pan to a high heat. Drizzle in sesame oil and swirl the pan to coat. Add pork. Use a spatula to bread the pork up into little pieces. Cook until brown and crispy, it should take about 5 minutes.
  3. While the pork is cooking, add bean paste, tamari, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and chicken stock to a small bowl. Whisk to combine.
  4. Add garlic and ginger, cook one minute. Add in cabbage mix. Season with a little bit of salt and pepper. Turn the heat down to medium and continue to stir fry until cabbage is soft, another 3-5 minutes.
  5. Add noodles and toss together. Pour in the sauce and continue to toss everything together until the noodles are coated. Add in green onions, toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper.