Ants Climbing a Tree /Ma Yi Shang Shu
Sichuan Mung bean thread / Glass noodles / Cellophane noodles sauteed with ground pork (turkey)
I looked up a few recipes in search of something that sounded like the dish I’ve eaten a few times. This one seemed to look like a good starting point (the only one I came across with dou-chi / fermented black beans, in addition to the sichuan doubanjiang all the recipes call for). I did adjust the proportions to taste, and add a bit of vinegar (I did see one recipe call for preserved greens, which would also provide a tang) and a touch more sugar to balance the flavor out.
I cooked the ground turkey with all the seasonings, then drained off the sauce, and browned the turkey a bit more before removing it from the pan.
I then cooked the noodles with the saved sauce and adjusted to taste, then added enough of the ground turkey for the portion.
Turns out I inadvertently got the wrong noodles the first time (rice vermicelli), but they still tasted good as they absorbed the sauce well.
Then I got the right noodles (mung bean vermicelli / threads), made more sauce for the noodle portion, and finished with the previously seasoned ground turkey. The second version was what I remembered of the restaurant dish.
Really tasty! Would work well with capellini or linguine too, I think, just needs a bit of chew on a noodle that can absorb the flavors.
