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Pocket-friendly Chinese-style Stir-Fried Red Ants Recipe: Delicious and Fiery

"As a longstanding traditional Chinese dish, stir-fried red ants with red chili will surprise you with its tender and chewy texture, mouth-watering and enticing aroma, and delicious taste."

Administrator

7 November, 2023

202

Preparation
60 minutes Cooking
10 minutes Serves
2 – 3 people

Din chay is a traditional dish that has been around for a long time in Chinese cuisine and is usually made from wheat gluten. Today, we will show you how to make a delicious and aromatic dish of red stir-fried din chay!

1 Ingredients for red stir-fried din chay

100g wheat gluten
30g
30g
15g red sauce
200g
300g
216g boiling water
Seasonings: Red sauce, , vegetable oil, , , .

Tip:
– To ensure a delicious and authentic flavor, you should choose the right wheat gluten (also known as wheat starch) from large supermarkets or specialty Chinese food stores.
– Additionally, in order to ensure the taste and safety of the dish, you should choose high-quality and reputable red sauce, such as the one available on our official website.

Ingredients for red stir-fried din chay

2 How to make red stir-fried din chay

Step 1 Preparing and mixing the dough

First, you put into a large bowl 100g wheat gluten, 30g cornstarch, ¼ teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon sugar, then mix the dough evenly with chopsticks or a fork, and add 216g boiling water into the mixture. After that, continue mixing and cover the bowl with a cloth and let the dough rest for about 5 minutes.

Mixing the dough for din chay

Tip:
– To calculate the amount of water for the dough, you take the total weight of wheat gluten, cornstarch and tapioca starch multiplied by 1.35 (for example, if you take 160g of flour, multiplying it by 1.35 will give you the amount of water needed, which is 216g of boiling water).
– Also, you should ensure that the boiling water temperature is 100°C before adding it to the mixture in order to fully cook the dough.

Step 2 Kneading the dough for din chay

After the resting time, you take out the dough, add 30g tapioca starch, and knead the dough by hand until it forms a uniform block, then add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, knead lightly, then stretch the dough into a 20cm long strip. Cut the dough into 4 equal parts and place them in a small covered bowl to keep the dough from drying out.

Kneading the dough for din chay

Tip: Before adding the vegetable oil, it is recommended to knead the dough with gloves to avoid excessive stickiness.

Step 3 Shaping the din chay

Next, take each piece of dough and continue stretching it to form a 40cm long strip, then cut the strip in half and divide it into small pieces about 1-2cm long. Keep the pieces in a covered bowl and take one piece at a time, stretch it into a din chay pancake and repeat the process until all the kneaded dough is used.

Shaping the din chay

Tip: When shaping the din chay, you can use both hands to stretch the dough simultaneously to save time.

Step 4 Steaming the din chay

After lining a piece of wax paper on the steamer tray, you put all the prepared din chay on the tray, then boil about 500ml – 1 liter of water in a pot and steam the din chay over the boiling water, cover with a lid, and steam for about 5 minutes, making sure that the pieces do not stick together and are soft and chewy.

Steaming the din chay

Tip: If you prefer to use a steaming plate instead, you can apply a thin layer of oil to the plate instead of using wax paper, then place all the din chay on top and steam as usual.

Step 5 Preparing the vegetables

Next, wash and peel 200g of peas and 300g of salsify, then cut the salsify into thin slices about 0.5cm thick and continue cutting it into thin strips. Then, cut off both ends of the peas and cut them into bite-sized pieces.

Preparing the vegetables

Step 6 Mixing the din chay with the red sauce

After steaming the din chay, put it in a bowl to cool, add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, and use gloved hands to mix and separate the stuck din chay strands. Then, add about 15g of red sauce to the bowl and mix everything together.

Mixing the din chay with the red sauce

Step 7 Stir-frying the vegetables

Heat a pan on the stove, add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, wait for the oil to heat up, then stir-fry the salsify strips with ½ tablespoon red sauce until the salsify is evenly coated with the sauce. Then add the peas and continue stir-frying, season with ½ tablespoon vegan oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon vegan seasoning powder, and about 10ml of water, then continue stir-frying until the vegetables are cooked.

Stir-frying the vegetables

Step 8 Stir-frying the din chay with the vegetables

Finally, wash the pan used for stir-frying and heat it again on the stove. Then, add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and when the oil is hot, add ½ tablespoon red sauce and the din chay, stir-fry for 1-2 minutes, then add all the stir-fried vegetables, stir-fry until all the liquid is absorbed and then turn off the heat and transfer to a serving dish.

Stir-frying the din chay with the vegetables

Tip: When stir-frying the vegetables with the din chay, it is recommended to use a non-stick pan to prevent the food from sticking.

Step 9 Finished dish

Not only visually appealing and fragrant, red stir-fried din chay is a perfect blend of the freshness and crunchiness of peas and salsify with the soft and flavorful texture of din chay, which will leave a lasting impression even if you try it for the first time.

Finished dish

3 Enjoying the dish

Despite its simple appearance, red stir-fried din chay is sure to delight every member of your family with its fresh and crunchy peas, flavorful salsify, and the soft and slightly fatty aroma of the din chay. Particularly when served with white rice, spring rolls, or other stir-fried dishes, it will make your family meal even more rich and special.

Red stir-fried din chay goes well with white rice

So now we have finished guiding you on how to make savory and aromatic red stir-fried din chay! Don’t hesitate to treat your family to this unique, flavorful, and irresistible dish!