Ants Climbing a Tree – Ma Yi Shang Shu

Ants Climbing a Tree is a traditional Sichuan dish. The taste is light, smooth and delicious.

What is Ants Climbing a Tree?

Ants climbing a tree (simplified Chinese: 蚂蚁上树; traditional Chinese: 螞蟻上樹; pinyin: Mǎyǐshàngshù) also called sauteed vermicelli with minced pork. Because the minced meat is attached to the vermicelli, it looks like the ant is crawling on the branch and gets its name. It is very common in Sichuan and Chongqing, China.

The ant tree is usually made up of vermicelli and minced meat, supplemented with carrots, ginger, onions, bean paste and other accessories.

Nutritional value of the Ants Climbing a Tree

1. Vermicelli is rich in carbohydrates, dietary fiber, protein, niacin and minerals. ( Such as calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorus and sodium.) They have good flavor and can absorb the taste of various delicious soups.

2. Pork is rich in high-quality protein and essential fatty acids and provides heme and cysteine to promote iron absorption, which can improve iron deficiency anemia.

Precautions

1. Vermicelli contains a lot of aluminum, and should not be eaten too much at one time.
2. Due to the high cholesterol content in pork, obese people and those with higher blood lipids should not eat too much.

History about the Ants Climbing a Tree

According to legend, in ancient China, there was a widow named Dou Yu, and her mother-in-law was also sick and fell in bed. She is very filial and takes care of her mother-in-law very carefully.

One day she went out to buy meat, but because she was very poor and had no money to buy meat, so she only owed a small piece of meat. When she back home make lunch, she minced the meat and added onions, ginger and soy sauce stir fry for a while, and finally add green garlic and pepper to make sautéed vermicelli with minced pork.

Then she gave it to her mother-in-law to eat, and the mother-in-law who was lying in bed saw many black spots(the minced pork) on the vermicelli, mistakenly thought them like ants. But she could not help but praise it after taste the dish. So she simply named this dish as “Ants Climbing a Tree.”

Ants Climbing a Tree Recipe:

You’ll need

150 g sweet potato vermicelli
100g beef or pork belly, minced
Vegetable oil
1 teaspoon Doubanjiang
2 cloves garlic, minced
20g celery, chopped
2 tablespoons red pickled pepper, minced
1 garlic sprout, chopped
2 green onion, chopped
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon green peppercorns
For seasoning:
1/2 teaspoon light soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/5 monosodium glutamate

How to make Ants Climbing a Tree

1. Cut the bean threads noodles from the middle and put it in a bowl, add hot water in the bowl and soak it in for 15 minutes. Then, drained it and set aside.

2. Heat a wok with oil, and stir-fry green peppercorns until fragrant. Add pork belly and stir-fry it under middle heat for 40 seconds until the lard in the minced meat comes out.

3. Add the ginger, garlic, red pickled pepper and doubanjiang in the wok and stir-fry it until fragrant.

4. Add the sweet potato vermicelli and stir-fry under middle heat for 30seconds.And then seasoning the vermicelli with light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, salt, sugar and monosodium glutamate and stir-fry evenly.

5. Add the green onion, celery, garlic sprout and some vegetable oil and stir-fry a few times. Transfer it on a plate and serve.

Print Recipe

5 from 4 votes

Ants Climbing a Tree - Ma Yi Shang Shu

Ants Climbing a Tree is a traditional Sichuan dish. The taste is light, smooth and delicious.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: Ants Climbing a Tree, Ma Yi Shang Shu

Servings: 2

Calories: 498kcal

Ingredients

• 150g sweet potato vermicelli
• 100g beef or pork belly minced
• Vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon Doubanjiang
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 20g celery chopped
• 2 tablespoons red pickled pepper minced
• 1 garlic sprout chopped
• 2 green onion chopped
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1 teaspoon green peppercorns

For seasoning:

• 1/2 teaspoon light soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
• pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/5 monosodium glutamate

Instructions

• Cut the bean threads noodles from the middle and put it in a bowl, add hot water in the bowl and soak it in for 15 minutes. Then, drained it and set aside.
• Heat a wok with oil, and stir-fry green peppercorns until fragrant. Add pork belly and stir-fry it under middle heat for 40 seconds until the lard in the minced meat comes out.
• Add the ginger, garlic, red pickled pepper and doubanjiang in the wok and stir-fry it until fragrant.
• Add the sweet potato vermicelli and stir-fry under middle heat for 30seconds.And then seasoning the vermicelli with light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, salt, sugar and monosodium glutamate and stir-fry evenly.
• Add the green onion, celery, garlic sprout and some vegetable oil and stir-fry a few times. Transfer it on a plate and serve.