Ants Climbing a Tree

Ants Climbing a Tree (Simplified Chinese: 蚂蚁上树; Traditional Chinese: 螞蟻上樹; Pinyin: Mǎyǐ shàng shù) is a Sichuan home-style dish of bean-thread (glass) noodles stir-fried with minced meat in a savory chili sauce; bits of meat clinging to noodles inspired the poetic name.

Characteristics

Noodles are slippery and sauce-coated; heat comes from chili bean paste and chili oil rather than numbing pepper alone, though Sichuan pepper may appear. It is everyday wok cooking, not a banquet showpiece.

Ingredients (overview)

Mung-bean vermicelli, minced pork (or beef), Pixian-style doubanjiang or chili sauce, soy, scallion, garlic, ginger, stock or water. See pantry notes on Sichuan Food and Pixian Doubanjiang.

History and culture

The dish is a frequent item in Sichuan restaurants and home kitchens and helps fill out the Sichuan Food everyday repertoire alongside mapo tofu and dry-fried green beans.

Serving and variations

With rice as a family main. See Sichuan Food; related minced-meat Sichuan flavors include Mapo Tofu and Yuxiang Shredded Pork.

See also

• Sichuan Food
• Mapo Tofu
• Yuxiang Shredded Pork
• Dry-fried Green Beans
• List of dishes (A-Z)