Thinly sliced beef stir-fried fast with red weaver ants and their eggs, lemongrass, ginger, garlic and chili, where the live ants pop with a sharp, citric sourness that seasons the savoury meat.
Stir-fried red tree ants with beef comes from Cambodia's countryside, where the weaver ants nesting in mango and cashew trees have long been gathered as a free, prized seasoning. The dish gained wider fame through Phnom Penh's Romdeng restaurant and the TREE Alliance, which trains former street youth, turning a rural foraged delicacy into a celebrated taste of Khmer adventure.
The beef is savoury and lemongrass-scented, and then the ants and eggs burst with a startling, lemony tartness that ripples through each bite. It is herbaceous, peppery from chili and ginger, with a sour pop you simply cannot get any other way.
Weaver ants are naturally rich in formic acid, so they act like a built-in souring agent the way lime or tamarind would, but released in tiny bursts. A hot, fast stir-fry just barely cooks them so they keep that sharp acidity rather than dissolving into the sauce.
Variations
Made with chicken or pork, with extra holy basil, milder version using only the eggs, served as a salad with raw herbs
On the Palate
Where Red Tree Ant Stir-Fry with Beef sits in the Cambodian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 3
How it's made
8 steps · 20 min
- 14 min
Gently rinse the red tree ants and their eggs and pick out any twigs or leaves.
- 24 min
Slice the beef thinly across the grain and bruise the lemongrass, then mince it with garlic and ginger.
- 32 min
Heat oil in a wok over high heat and fry the lemongrass, garlic and ginger until fragrant.
- 42 min
Add the sliced beef and stir-fry quickly until it is just seared.
Watch outSear the thin-sliced beef fast over screaming heat just until it changes colour — the whole point is speed, a slow fry toughens it and steams out the wok's fragrance.
- 52 min
Season with fish sauce, oyster sauce and a little sugar, tossing to coat.
- 61 min
Add the red ants and their eggs along with sliced chilies and toss briefly.
Watch outAdd the ants and eggs at the very end and toss just seconds — a quick heat keeps their sharp, lime-like tang; cook them long and that bright sourness cooks away into the sauce.
- 72 min
Throw in chopped water spinach or scallions and stir just until wilted.
- 81 min
Finish with holy basil and serve hot with steamed rice.
