Ant Climbing Tree

蚂蚁上树

Ant Climbing Tree — SichuanChongqing home cooking.

Ingredients

• dried cellophane noodles (mung bean starch)
• lean ground pork (90% lean)
• fermented broad bean paste (doubanjiang)
• Shaoxing wine
• scallions, finely chopped (green and white parts separated)

Instructions

1. Soak cellophane noodles in room-temperature water 15 minutes. Drain well, then snip into 5 cm lengths with kitchen shears. (Noodles are translucent, flexible, and separate easily — no mushiness.)
2. Heat wok over medium-high. Add pork and stir-fry until crumbled and no pink remains — about 2 minutes. (Meat breaks into fine, dry granules; surface looks matte, not greasy.)
3. Push pork to edge. Add doubanjiang to center and stir-fry 20 seconds until oil reddens and aroma sharpens. (Oil around paste darkens to deep coral; tiny foam appears at edges.)
4. Return pork to center. Add Shaoxing wine and stir-fry 30 seconds until alcohol smell evaporates and mixture glistens. (Steam rises briefly in a thin, visible veil; surface glistens uniformly.)
5. Add drained noodles and white scallion parts. Toss gently over medium heat 1 minute — noodles should absorb sauce, not steam. (Noodles cling to pork, turning pale beige with flecks of red sauce.)