Ma Yi Shang Shu
蚂蚁上树·(mǎ yǐ shàng shù)
Jiachangcai (The Weeknight Wok)
Scrape ground pork into a smoking carbon-steel wok at six-thirty on a Tuesday. It is working-class food in the best possible sense: cheap pantry staples transformed by fermented chili bean paste and rendered pork fat into something spicy, savory, and outrageously satisfying as the crispy morsels cling to the threads like ants on a branch. The pork crisps and mung bean threads come together in fifteen minutes flat, demanding nothing more than a hot wok and a watchful eye, so keep your doubanjiang within arm's reach and do not step away from the burner.
Before you start
Soak the noodles.
Place the dried vermicelli in a large bowl and cover with warm tap water for twenty minutes until pliable but firm, then drain thoroughly.
Season the pork.
In a small bowl, mix the ground pork with the Shaoxing wine and salt.
Ingredients
- sweet potato vermicelli4 oz
- ground fatty pork4 oz
- Shaoxing rice wine1 tsp
- kosher salt1/4 tsp
- neutral cooking oil2 tbsp
- fresh ginger1 tbsp
- garlic3 small clove
- scallion2 med
- Pi'xian Doubanjiang1 tbsp
- unsalted chicken stock1 cup
- light soy sauce1 tbsp
- dark soy sauce1/2 tsp
- sugar1/2 tsp
Method
- 01
Condition the wok.
Heat the wok over high heat until it begins to smoke, then swirl in the neutral oil to coat the bottom and prevent sticking.
- 02
Render and crisp the pork.
Add the seasoned pork, immediately breaking it up into the smallest granules possible with a spatula. Stir-fry for three to four minutes until the moisture evaporates, the fat renders, and the meat becomes browned and crispy.
- 03
Release the red oil.
Turn the heat to medium and push the meat to the side. Drop the doubanjiang into the center, frying it in the rendered pork fat for thirty seconds until the oil turns a stained-glass red. Toss in the minced ginger, garlic, and scallion whites, stirring everything together for another thirty seconds.
- 04
Build the braising liquid.
Pour in the chicken stock, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and sugar, and bring the liquid to a rolling boil.
- 05
Braise the noodles.
Drop the drained noodles into the bubbling broth. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for three to five minutes, tossing occasionally, until the noodles have absorbed almost all the liquid and the starches activate to glue the pork to the threads.
- 06
Garnish and serve.
Remove from heat, toss in the sliced scallion greens for a pop of fresh color, and serve immediately alongside steamed white rice.
Notes
Noodle selection matters.
Sweet potato vermicelli gives the most authentic, chewy texture, though standard mung bean glass noodles are a perfectly acceptable traditional substitute.
Do not boil the noodles.
Boiling causes them to release starch prematurely, guaranteeing a sticky, gelatinous clump in the wok. Soak them in warm tap water only.
This is a braise, not a dry stir-fry.
The defining secret to the dish is letting the noodles simmer in the seasoned broth. Leave a tiny bit of slick sauce in the wok so the noodles remain glossy, not gummy.
From Cook Sichuan in America.