Don’t worry, it won’t be too exotic here. The ants stay in the building.

I had glass noodles left over and a miserable rest of mixedminced meat….and then my Chinese girlfriend came to mind. We shared atwo-room apartment. And then she was definitely more in the kitchen than I was,because far away from home she had no choice but to cook the dishes she wasused to. Small and dainty as she is, but has a considerable amount of energy.This has also made itself felt in the kitchen.

“Ants climbing trees” is a dish where minced meat is fried with glass noodles. And if you get it right, it looks like ants climb up a tree trunk (glass noodles coloured brown with soy sauce). My girlfriend, who values perfect results, has wrested some energetic utterances (one could also say curses) from the dish if the appearance did not meet her expectations.  And honestly…after trying, I can understand their curses. One could still work on the even distribution of the minced meat crumbs. But the taste is flawless.

Try our yummy recipe today.

Ingredients for 3 people

100 gr. glass noodles
1 teaspoon rice wine (Shaoxing, if necessary semi-drysherry)
100 gr. minced meat (beef, pork, or a mixture of both)
Neutral oil for frying
1 1/2 teaspoon bean paste with chili (Asia-Shop)
300 ml chicken broth
1/2 tsp soy sauce
3 spring onions, the green parts, cut into fine rings

Preparation

Working time: approx. 15 min.  
Level of difficulty: normal

Soak the glass noodles in hot water for at least 15 minutes before starting. Thoroughly mix the minced meat with the rice wine and some salt.

Heat two tablespoons of oil in a pan or a wok. Fry the minced meat while stirring constantly until it becomes brown and crispy, adding some soy sauce. Add the bean paste and continue stirring until the oil settles; take care not to burn anything; take the wok off the fire if necessary.

Drain the pasta briefly in a sieve, then add to the wok together with the broth. Bring to the boil, stirring well. Season to taste with soy sauce. Allow to boil until the liquid is absorbed. At the end fold in the spring onions and place on a serving plate.