There is a first time for everything! For me, making Ants Climbing a Tree was my first time using bean paste and cellophane noodles.
Background
You know how much I like trying new recipes and posting reviews on here! So, when Tiana from Yum of China asked me to review one of her recipes I was SO on board! We emailed back and forth several times about which recipe and when it’d be posted. There are several recipes on her site that I considered, but I settled on Ants Climbing a Tree.
Ants Climbing a Tree
There were a few ingredients in the recipe that were new to me, including the bean paste and cellophane noodles. Luckily, Jungle Jim’s had us covered. I just started using the ginger paste and it’s amazing! I love the taste of fresh ginger and I can’t taste the difference when I use the paste verses the real thing. Also, my friend Heidi enlightened me with those pre-peeled garlic cloves. Game changer.
The bean paste was, well, pasty. I only needed two tablespoons, but this was the smallest bag I could find. It didn’t smell until I started cooking it.
This recipe was really easy and didn’t take very long. With all the chopping and cooking I’d say it didn’t take me more than 35 minutes to prepare.
The smell of the garlic, scallions and ginger was SO good. I think I could have quit there and been good just eating the pork with just those flavors. But, alas, I had those cellophane noodle soaking in the water.
I added some jalapeños on top for a pretty presentation. If I made this again I’d up the garlic/onion/ginger inputs. I also added lots of red pepper flakes (I use them like salt) to add a little more kick. Now, any suggestions about what to do with the rest of the bag of bean paste??
