Ants Climbing A Tree Ma Yi Shang Shu Recipes

ANTS IN TREES

Steps:

• Soak the noodles in enough hot water to cover by 1 inch for 20 minutes. Use kitchen shears to cut the noodles into 3 to 4-inch pieces and drain thoroughly in a colander for 10 minutes.
• Combine the soy sauce, rice wine, and chili paste in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the cornstarch and whisk until combined. Add the pork and mix until thoroughly integrated. Set aside for 30 minutes.
• Place a 12-inch saute pan over high heat for 1 minute. Add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Once the oil shimmers, add the meat mixture. Stir constantly for 2 minutes, breaking the meat up into very small pieces. Add 2/3 of the green onions and continue cooking and stirring until the meat is well browned and in very small pieces, approximately 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the broth. Cook until reduced, approximately 3 minutes.
• Slowly add handfuls of the noodles to the pan, tossing with the meat mixture until combined and the pieces of meat cling to the noodles and no liquid remains. Serve immediately with the remaining green onions.

MAYI SHANG SHU (ANTS CLIMB A TREE)

Steps:

• Preparation:.
• Put the cellophane noodles in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Stir and set aside to soak for at least 20 minutes.
• Put the ground pork in a bowl and add the 2 tablespoons soy sauce and sesame oil.
• Clean the scallions, then slice them, both the green and white, diagonally as fine as you can. Add half of the scallions to the ground pork mixture and mix well. Set aside the remainder of the scallions.
• Peel the garlic cloves and chop them into tiny pieces, about the size of a match head.
• Peel the ginger, then mince it very fine, until it reaches the consistency of coarse bread crumbs.
• When the cellophane noodles have become nice and soft, rinse them several times under cold water; drain well and set aside.
• Time to Cook!
• Heat your wok or pan over a high flame for 15 seconds, then pour in the oil. It will be hot enough to cook with when the first tiny bubbles forms and a few small wisps of smoke appear.
• When the oil is ready, toss in the chopped ginger and garlic, and the hot pepper paste. Stir-fry these ingredients together for 30 seconds, using your cooking shovel to keep things moving around in the hot oil.
• Add the meat and continue to stir-fry for about 1 minute, taking particular care to break up any large chunks of meat. Note: pork will not be completed cooked at this point.
• Pour in the soy sauce and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
• Add the cellophane noodles and cook for about 1 minutes, turning them over occasionally and making several cuts with the cooking shovel or wooden spoon.
• Add the water and the rest of the scallions. Taste for salt and season as needed to give a rich, clear taste to the noodles. Cover pan and let simmer over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper just before serving.

ANTS CLIMBING A TREE ( MA-YI SHANG SHU )

Steps:

• Soften the noodles briefly in warm water. When they are soft, mostly clear and pliable, drain and cut both ends to shorten them to manageable lengths.Be careful not to over soak. Set aside.
• To prepare the red peppers: Top and seed the red peppers and chop finely. If using dried red peppers, soak in warm water until softened, then seed and chop. Set aside.
• To prepare the green pepper: Top, seed and cut into shreds. Fry shortly in 1 Tbsp cooking oil on high heat with a pinch of salt. Set aside.
• To prepare mushrooms: Soak dried mushrooms in warm water until softened. Cut away the tough stems and cut the mushrooms into 1/2 inch pieces. Set aside.
• Chop the ginger and green onions. Put them both on a small plate with the hot bean sauce and red peppers. Set aside.
• In a bowl, mix the rice wine, soy sauce, salt, mushrooms and chicken stock. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a wok or large pan until hot. Add the pork and toss until grey, breaking up the pork into very tiny bits as you do.
• Add the ginger, onions, peppers and bean sauce and stir it well.
• When the pork and ginger have absorbed the red color from the bean sauce and become strongly aromatic, add the bowl containing the wine, soy sauce, salt and stock.
• Reduce heat and stir once.
• Add noodles.
• Simmer, stirring occasionally until the liquid is absorbed.
• Stir in green peppers with sesame oil.
• Serve immediately and enjoy!