Ants Climbing Up a Tree
Submitted by chonteeno
Chinese stir-fried pork with crispy deep-fried noodles served in lettuce wraps for an interactive, fun dinner with spicy bean sauce and crunchy texture contrasts.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
30 minREADY
1 hrsThis playfully named Sichuan dish gets its moniker from the way bits of ground pork cling to wiry noodles like ants climbing branches.
The real showstopper is deep-frying rice noodles until they puff into crunchy white clouds, then topping them with savory stir-fried pork and vegetables in a spicy bean sauce.
Guests wrap spoonfuls in crisp lettuce leaves at the table, creating little handheld burritos that balance hot, savory, crunchy, and fresh all in one bite.
It’s interactive dining at its best, perfect for casual dinners where everyone gets to build their own.
Pro Tips
- Oil temp matters: Heat oil until just smoking before adding noodles; they should puff immediately
- Small batches: Fry noodles in small amounts so they all puff evenly and you can control them
- Don’t overcook pork: Three minutes on high heat keeps it tender; longer makes it tough and dry
- Lettuce cups ready: Have washed, dried lettuce leaves at the table for wrapping
Variations
- Use ground chicken or turkey instead of pork for leaner protein
- Skip deep-frying and use crispy chow mein noodles from the store
- Make it vegetarian with crumbled firm tofu and extra mushrooms
Ingredients
Directions
Bone and finely chop the pork.
Marinate the pork in the soy, wine and ginger for about 15 minutes.
Slice the green onions.
Finely chop the cabbage and mushrooms, reserving the soaking water from the mushrooms.
Heat the oil in a wok until it is just beginning to smoke.
Use good ventilation in your kitchen for this one! Open the noodle package and undo them a bit.
Drop into the hot fat in small batches.
They will immediately puff up into wonderful white crunchy noodles.
Turn quickly to be sure that all of them are cooked.
Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels.
Be very careful with this.
You could burn yourself. Set the noodles aside.
Heat another wok or frying pan and add 1 Tablespoon of the peanut oil.
Add the chopped garlic and toss for a moment.
Add the meat and marinade and stir fry, mixing it about, until the meat is tender but not dry, about 3 minutes on high heat.
Remove the meat mixture and add the vegetables to the wok.
Stir fry over high heat for 3 more minutes.
Return the meat to the pan and add the hot bean sauce, sugar and black pepper.
Stir fry for 1 minute and then add the cornstarch dissolved in the water.
Stir until the sauce thickens. If you have too little sauce, add a bit of the water in which you have soaked the mushrooms.
Add the sesame oil and stir.
Place the fried noodles on a large platter and pour the meat and vegetable mixture over the noodles.
Toss at the table in front of your guests.
Each person then takes a bit of noodle and meat sauce and places it in the center of a lettuce leaf.
Roll it up like a burrito and enjoy.
Comments