Ants climbing up a slightly different tree

I've always been intrigued by a Chinese recipe named 'ants climbing up the tree'. Who in their right mind would find a recipe named such appetising? (Well, me for one and anyone who enjoys eating ants, I imagine). Images accompanying said recipe seem to suggest some type of ground beef and noodles, usually the thin, translucent cellophane kind, covered with a sauce. Wikipedia reveals that this is indeed what the classic dish is comprised of - the ground meat clinging to the noodles like ants on tree branches. Lovely. I made something similar recently in a hasty desire to use ground beef without resorting to chili or Bolognese. I once made flaky, spicy samosas with ground beef, tomatoes and chili powder, they were good with a fruity heat and dry, meaty mouth feel and so this recipe takes a bit of inspiration from both. 

Since reading Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's Bolognese recipe, I have altered the way I cook any recipe containing ground beef. Rather than just brown the beef with the onions and other aromatics at the start, I now fry the meat in a separate pan along with Worcestershire sauce, steak seasoning and paprika. I let the meat cook until all the juice has evaporated and the beef becomes crisp and slightly charred, before mixing with whatever sauce has been simmering away to accompany. I agree with Hugh that this adds more textural interest and crisp, uber savoury bits that add to the flavour. 

As stated earlier, if you want this to be more authentic, use cellophane noodles.

(Unlike the traditional recipe, this dish is quite dry and meaty with the kale adding a nice chewiness and the mint an interesting herbal touch. If you'd like it to be more authentic, try this recipe).

Recipe : Ants climbing up a tree

3/4 lb of ground beef

1 tbsp peanut oil

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp steak seasoning

1/2 tsp paprika

1 tbsp oil

1 onion, peeled and finely diced

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely diced

1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely diced

1 celery stalk, finely sliced

1/2 bunch kale, thinly shredded

6 mushrooms, quartered

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp soy sauce

1 small bunch mint, finely shredded, (I had some available, which is the only reason I chose mint, although it worked well. Basil or cilantro would be other, more obvious choices)

any type of noodles for two, cooked according to package instructions and drained 

a few drops of chili or sesame oil

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat and add the onion, garlic, ginger, celery and mushrooms. Fry until the onion is soft and translucent and the mushrooms softened. Add the chili powder and fry for 1 minute more until fragrant, then add the soy sauce, kale and mint, (or other herb) and fry gently until the kale has wilted. Turn the heat down to low. 

Now, fry your beef. First, heat the peanut oil in a frying pan over medium to high heat and add the beef, pressing down with your hands until it covers the pan in one layer. Sprinkle over the seasoning and paprika and splash over the Worcestershire sauce. Start stirring and continue until the beef is all brown and there is some juice in the pan. Continue for a few moments until the juice starts to evaporate at which point the meat will start to become crisp. Press the beef down again and leave for a minute or two before turning over and crisping the other side. The beef should be all deep brown with patches of well crisped and caramelised bits. 

Add the beef, (with any residual juice left), to the vegetables and noodles, stir well and let warm together over medium heat. Serve with a little more chili powder sprinkled over and a dash or two of sesame or chili oil.

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Soba noodles with beef

Chow mein with pork