Homemade Chinese Glass Noodle Stir-Fry (Mayi Shang Shu)

This type of Chinese glass noodle stir-fry, widely known as má yǐ shàng shù (蚂蚁上树), is very popular Szechuan dish. Literal translation is ‘ants climbing a tree’. What a weird name, right? Whoever invented this dish is very imaginative – the minced meat represents the ants, the glass noodle represents tree, and chopped scallions are seen as the leaves of the tree. Hence, this Chinese glass noodle stir-fry (má yǐ shàng shù, 蚂蚁上树) always has minced meat, glass noodle and chopped scallion. Nowadays, there are many different variations of má yǐ shàng shù but they always contain these three ingredients – minced meat, glass noodle, and chopped scallion.

The recipe below is my homemade version of Ants climbing a tree (má yǐ shàng shù, 蚂蚁上树). It is very tasty with bold flavor, spicy, savory, yet smooth. I tame down the spicyness a bit by using less of black bean chili oil. If you’d like it spicy, you can use more of the black bean chili oil or add chopped chili pepper for spicier version. Another addition that makes it unique, I am using sweet soy sauce because I think it goes well with this Chinese glass noodle stir-fry. If you do not have the sweet soy sauce available, you can always substitute it with brown sugar.

Tools I used:

• Wok – Non-stick wok for any kind of stir-frying or cooking needs. Evenly heated, easy cleaning, easy to flip/stir and very durable.

Tip: If you like it spicy, you can add more Lao Gan Ma black bean chili sauce. You can also add more water to give a bit ‘watery’ texture. Also, keep in mind that the noodle will soak most of the water overtime, so it’s better to consume it right away.

Ingredient:

• 1 lb sweet potato vermicelli – soaked in water for about 10-15 minutes
• 1-piece boneless skinless chicken breast – minced (or you can use ground chicken instead)
• ½ lb shrimp – deveined and peeled
• ¼ medium-sized cabbage – shredded
• 1 cup baby bok choy – cut into smaller pieces
• 3 eggs
• 4 cloves garlic – minced
• 1 medium-sized shallot – thinly sliced
• 1-inch ginger – minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ cup water
• Salt and pepper to taste (optional)
• 2 stalk scallion – chopped

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons Lao Gan Ma black bean chili oil
• 2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil

Direction:

• Add all the sauce ingredients (black bean chili oil, sweet soy sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sesame oil) in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
• In a wok or deep sauté pan, heat the olive oil under medium-high heat.
• Add minced chicken, garlic, shallot and ginger. Stir for about 2-3 minutes.
• Then, using spatula, push all to the side of the wok. Crack the eggs into the middle of the wok and stir.
• When the egg is no longer runny, add shredded cabbage, soaked vermicelli, the mixed sauce, shrimp and water. Give it a good stir so that all are mixed and covered with the sauce. Keep stirring until most of the water is evaporated or soaked into the vermicelli. (Optional: you can add more salt and pepper if you’d like)
• Serve and enjoy while it is hot!