Ants Climbing a Tree (Chinese Minced Pork with Glass Noodles)

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Ants Climbing a Tree (螞蟻上樹) is a classic Sichuan dish made with glass noodles tossed in a spicy, savoury minced pork sauce. And no, there are no actual ants involved! It’s quick and easy to make in under 30 minutes and super flavourful.

Watch How to Make It
What is Ants Climbing a Tree?
Why I Love This Recipe
Ingredients for This Dish
How to Make Ants Climbing a Tree?
Karen’s Top Tips
Frequently Asked Questions

Ants Climbing a Tree (Chinese Minced Pork with Glass Noodles)

Watch How to Make It

What is Ants Climbing a Tree?

This classic Sichuan dish is called 螞蟻上樹 (ma yi shang shu) and it literally translates to “ants climbing a tree.” The name comes from how the little bits of minced pork cling onto the glass noodles after stir-frying, resembling tiny ants crawling up the tree branches. So creative, I know!

This simple dish is built on doubanjiang (Chinese spicy fermented broad bean paste) and Sichuan peppercorn powder. Spicy, savoury and numbing, a classic Sichuanese flavour profile. This dish to me almost seems like Mapo Tofu’s younger cousin, it has a similar flavour profile, but a lot easier and quicker to whip up on a weeknight.

Why I Love This Recipe

● Ready in under 30 minutes – prep the aromatics, stir-fry the pork, throw in the noodles, and the rest comes together super fast!

● Very few ingredients needed – doubanjiang and Sichuan peppercorn powder is the star of this dish.

● Noodles that actually soak up the sauce – glass noodles are perfect for absorbing all that spicy savoury sauce, so every bite is super flavourful.

Ingredients for This Dish

You’ll find the full ingredients list and quantities in the recipe card below, but let’s run through a few key ingredients.

Glass noodles (mung bean vermicelli)

Glass noodles, also known as mung bean vermicelli, are thin translucent noodles made from mung bean starch. They’re perfect for soaking up the spicy and savoury sauce, which is why they’re the star of this dish!

I’ve used these noodles multiple times in my recipes that have flavourful umami sauces, such as my tofu and mushroom glass noodles and Thai glass noodle salad (yum woon sen).

You’ll find them dried in most Asian supermarkets or online on Amazon. Sweet potato starch noodles are a decent substitute if you can’t find mung bean ones, but regular wheat noodles won’t give you the same slippery sauce-soaking texture.

Get glass noodles on Amazon

Minced pork

The base for this dish is usually minced pork, but feel free to substitute minced chicken, turkey or beef depending on what you have. Stir-fry it until browned with slightly crispy edges. That extra texture adds a lot to the final dish.

Doubanjiang

Doubanjiang (豆瓣醬) is the backbone of this dish, so it’s not something you can swap out. It’s a fermented broad bean and chilli paste from Sichuan, and it’s what gives this dish its deep, savoury, umami-rich flavour with a gentle kick of heat.

Doubanjiang is also the soul of other classic Sichuan dishes like Mapo Tofu Steamed Egg, Dan Dan Noodles, Twice-Cooked Pork and Fish Fragrant Eggplant.

You can usually find doubanjiang at your local Asian supermarket or online on Amazon. This Chuan Lao Hui (川老匯) Pixian doubanjiang is the exact brand I use and it’s the most authentic doubanjiang!

Get doubanjiang on Amazon

Sichuan peppercorn powder

Sichuan peppercorns are what give this dish its signature “ma” (麻), that tingly and numbing sensation that’s a hallmark of Sichuan cooking.

In this recipe, I use Sichuan peppercorn powder for the citrus aroma and signature numbing tingle. You can also add a few drops of Sichuan peppercorn oil for fragrance and glossy finish at the end.

There’s no real substitute if you want that authentic Sichuan character. You can find it pre-ground at Chinese supermarkets, or you can grind whole Sichuan peppercorns yourself at home.

Get Sichuan peppercorn powder on Amazon

How to Make Ants Climbing a Tree

1) Prep the noodles and aromatics

Soak the glass noodles in hot water for 5 minutes until softened, then drain and use scissors to cut them in half so they’re easier to toss in the pan. Chop the garlic, shallot and spring onion, keeping the white and green parts of the spring onion separate.

2) Brown the pork

Heat oil in a wok or frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the minced pork and stir-fry for about 5 minutes, breaking it up as you go, until browned and slightly crispy.

3) Stir-fry the aromatics and sauce

Add garlic, shallot and spring onion whites, and stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in the doubanjiang, dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar, Sichuan peppercorn powder and Sichuan peppercorn oil, and cook for about a minute until the doubanjiang is fragrant and coats the pork.

4) Simmer the noodles

Add the noodles and water. Cover and cook for 3 minutes until the noodles have softened and soaked up most of the sauce.

5) Thicken and serve

Mix the cornstarch and water, then stir the slurry into the pan and cook for 30 seconds until the sauce thickens slightly. Garnish with the spring onion greens and enjoy!

Karen’s Top Tips

1) Snip the noodles after soaking

Glass noodles get really long and tangly once softened, so cutting them in half with scissors makes it so much easier to toss and serve!

2) Don’t skip browning the pork

Let the pork cook and brown properly before breaking it up too much. Those crispy bits add so much flavour and texture to the dish.

3) Fry the doubanjiang until fragrant

Stir-fry the sauce for a minute before adding the water. This is what brings out its fragrance and depth and prevents the dish from tasting flat.

4) Keep an eye on the noodles

Glass noodles soak up liquid fast, so keep an eye on them during the simmer. You want them saucy, not dry or mushy.

More classic Sichuan recipes you’ll love

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a different type of noodle?

Glass noodles (mung bean vermicelli) are classic for this dish because they soak up sauce so well, but sweet potato starch noodles work as a substitute. Regular wheat noodles won’t give you the same texture.

Is this dish very spicy?

It has a gentle heat from the doubanjiang and Sichuan peppercorns, but it’s not super spicy. Add more doubanjiang or a splash of chilli oil if you want extra heat.

Can I use ground chicken or beef instead of pork?

Yes of course! Either works well as a substitute, though the flavour and texture will be slightly different.

What is doubanjiang and can I substitute it?

Doubanjiang is a spicy, fermented broad bean and chilli paste that’s a staple in Sichuan cooking, so I really don’t recommend substituting! If you can’t find it, gochujang or a mix of miso and chilli paste can work, though the flavour won’t be quite the same.