Wha... on a Tree!?

Chao Mi Fun （炒米粉）has long been a dish that my mother would occasionally cook. As with many things she made, I never gave too much thought to the history behind the dish. In fact, up until today, I haven't had it in years! The reason for blogging it here? Because I believe it is a great anti-candida dish.

So I did a little research, online and with moms. I came across a few very nice recipes. A Malay/Singaporian version Mee Siam by Rasa Malaysia and a Garlic and Scallion vegetarian version by Appetite For China. They both look absolutely delic~ (I will have to try both one of these days). However, neither seemed to be what I recalled... that is until I came across "Ants on a Tree" by Teach You How to Cook Chinese Food. Ants on a tree? I'm glad moms never used that phrase... you know how kids can be ;p

So why ants? Because of the ground meat that is used. I guess they look like little ants crawling up the vermicelli. Moms does it this way as well but she uses ground beef, pork or chicken. In my case, I use ground bison. The version I present is close to moms with minor modifications to fit the anti-candida diet.

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Chao Mi Fun （炒米粉) a la American-style
Servings: 2

1/3 lb. ground bison
1 tsp. safflower oil (or any kind you'd like to use for stir-frying)
1 tbsp. Bragg Liquid Aminos (soy sauce substitute)
pepper

1 tbsp. safflower oil (or any kind you'd like to use for stir-frying)
2 (1/2") slices of ginger
1 tsp. minced garlic

2 cups thinly sliced cabbage (similar to coleslaw)
1 medium carrot, julienne into matchsticks
1/2 stalk celery, julienne into matchsticks
1/2 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms (pre-soaked if dry)(optional)
2 green onion stalks, cut into 1" lengths
1 cup water

4 oz. rice vermicelli
Bragg Liquid Aminos (soy sauce)
salt
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. sesame oil (optional)
1/2 pkt. stevia (optional)

Pre-soak the shitake mushroom slices if they were purchased dry.

Soak the rice vermicelli in COLD water for 30-45 minutes. Frequently, the packaging will tell you to soak in hot water for 5 minutes. You can do this but it may also lead to disaster if you over-soak it. Note: You might want to cut the vermicelli into smaller strands as it can be difficult to stir in the wok later.

Stir-fry the the ground bison with safflower oil. Add Bragg Liquid Aminos and pepper to taste. Cook until meat is done. Add the additional tablespoon of safflower oil , ginger and garlic. Fry it all together for about 1 minute to allow the flavors to blend. Then add the cabbage, carrot, celery, shitake mushrooms, and green onions. Stir-frying all of until the vegetables are cooked. Add a little water if necessary to help cook the vegetables through.

Drain the water from the vermicelli. Add vermicelli to vegetables in wok. Continuous stir-fry for another 5 minutes. Adding water if it seems too dry. Be sure to add sesame oil, Bragg's soy sauce and salt to taste. When the noodles, vegetables and meat are well-blended, you're done! Serve and enjoy!

This dish is great for lunch or dinner!

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There's kind of a funny story about this... While cooking this dish, I didn't cut the vermicelli and it ended up being like big-assed hair ball in the middle of my pot. What a pain! I thought, Moms was so smart! Her vermicelli was always in VERY VERY short lengths. She must have cut the vermicelli first before frying. I felt like an idiot! Well... when I related my thoughts to her, she started to laugh her ass off... Turns out, in the past, she was afraid that the noodles were a bit dirty so she soaked it for a LONG time in hot water. Soaking past the recommended time in hot water pretty much guarantees that it will disintegrate when you fry it in the pot. Hence, the short short noodles. LOL!! That's why I use cold water. It works the same, just takes longer. I think this is an issue of preference.

Anyway, there are a couple of notes to this recipe:
1. Bragg Liquid Aminos is not as salty as I expected. Personally, I can live without adding more salt but I think people will find it a bit bland.
2. Many of the other recipes use cooking wine, sugar and chili sauce. I didn't add those for obvious reasons and because not everyone likes having their food on fire! However, chili sauce is ok so long as you make your own.
3. I used bison but ground beef, chicken or pork can be used as well. Various types of shellfish is good too!
4. Feel free to use other vegetables. You can see what the others use in their recipes. What I use is based on how moms makes it.
5. Shitake's has medicinal properties so I'm making an exception. Leave it out if you don't feel comfortable with it.
6. Stevia works! I was afraid to use too a whole packet out of fear that it would come out tasting sweet. Although, I think I'm a bit over-worried.

I made the recipe twice back-to-back so that I could review the adjustments that I made. I think there still is room for some improvement even though my support system inhaled it. I will continue to diddle with the recipe and try to kick it up a notch. However, the recipe is very flexible so don't be afraid to experiment. Especially if you have spicing preferences.

Rice vermicelli and shitake mushrooms can be found at any Asian grocer. I think that most people shouldn't have a problem finding them. If you don't live near a large metro city, I recommend looking around your nearest university campus. Most will have an Asian grocer nearby due to all the Chinese students.

Update:
Rice vermicelli is made out of rice... but what kind of rice. I presume white.... Because the recipe only calls for 4 oz. and I haven't found it to affect me, I'm choosing to eat it. If your yeast reacts, this may not be a good recipe for you.