The dish of ants climbing trees comes from Guan Hanqing's Dou Eyuan. It is said that her father Dou gave her to the creditor Cai as a child bride in order to go to court. Dou E is diligent in the Wangs, filial to her mother-in-law, and takes good care of her husband. Her life is not bad. But the good days didn't last long. Her husband died of illness shortly after marriage, and Wang also fell ill. All the burdens of the family fell on Dou E's soft shoulders.
While calling a doctor for her mother-in-law, she tried to cook some delicious and nutritious meals for her mother-in-law. Under her careful care, Wang Po's health gradually improved. However, the Wangs who have no financial resources really live on empty pockets. Dou E had to bite the bullet and buy some meat on credit, but because of too many credit purchases, she finally bought only a small piece of meat on credit.
When it's time to cook, Dou E looks at such a small piece of meat, but she doesn't know how to start. She accidentally glanced at a handful of fans on the cupboard and had an idea. She soaked the vermicelli in hot water, cut the meat on credit into minced meat, stir-fried the onion and ginger, cooked the soy sauce and vermicelli in a pot for a while, and finally added shredded green garlic and pepper into the pot to make the now famous ant tree.
From the process of Dou E letting ants climb trees, we can see that the raw materials for ants to climb trees are not ants, but fans and minced meat. As for why they are called ants to climb trees, we should start with our mother-in-law Wang Po. Words at that time, Wang Po was lying in bed, suddenly a fragrance came. She asked Dou E what she cooked so fragrant, and Dou E showed it to her before going to bed. Wang Po looked intently. Why are there so many ants in the food? It turns out that Wang Po's eyes are bad, and he thinks the black spots on vermicelli are ants. Dou E had to explain to her and let her have a taste. After eating, Wang Po praised this dish as delicious and told Dou E that since these black spots are like ants, this dish should be called "ants in the tree".
So far, there are many ways for ants to climb trees. The main ingredients are vermicelli and minced meat, but the auxiliary materials have changed. However, generally speaking, ants usually use vermicelli and minced meat as the main ingredients, supplemented by carrots, ginger, onions, bean paste and other accessories. The method is simple and suitable for you to try at home.
Food preparation
250g of vermicelli, 50g of minced lean meat, a small amount of minced ginger and garlic, Haitian signature bibimbap sauce 1 tablespoon, soy sauce 1/2 teaspoons, 3g of sugar, 2 millet peppers, proper amount of oil and chopped green onion;
Practice steps
1. Soak the vermicelli in warm water for about 10 minutes, and cut it properly with scissors. Wash the millet pepper and cut it into rings for later use;
2. Put oil in the pot and heat it to 40%. Pour in the meat, stir-fry until it changes color, and then put it out for later use.
3. Leave the bottom oil in the pot, saute the minced ginger and garlic and millet pepper rings, pour in the vermicelli and stir quickly, add soy sauce, sugar and Haitian signature bibimbap sauce and stir evenly;
4. Finally, add the fried minced meat and stir well to serve.
Summary: Well-made ants climb trees, which are fragrant and refreshing, the vermicelli is oily and tender, the minced meat is crisp and fragrant, and the flavor is unique. They are the top grade of vegetarian dishes, and they are a good choice for eating by themselves or entertaining guests.