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    Home / Dinner / Ants Climbing a Tree (Ma Yi Shang Shu)

    Ants Climbing a Tree (Ma Yi Shang Shu)

    Ground pork clinging to slippery mung bean noodles in a salty, spicy sauce — a playful classic named for a folk tale.

    ⏱ 15 minPrep time
    🔥 20 minCook time
    🍽 4Servings
    🏷 DinnerCategory
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    The playful name comes from the way the ground pork clings to the noodles like ants climbing a branch. It is a humble Sichuan home dish, made with mung bean vermicelli and a salty, spicy sauce, and it appears on family tables more often than on restaurant menus. Children love the story, adults love that it cooks in one pan, and the dish is proof that Sichuan cooking can be playful as well as fiery.

    The playful noodle dish with a storybook name

    The mung bean noodles turn slippery and almost glassy as they soak up the sauce, while the pork, scallions, and peppercorns keep every bite savory and bright. It cooks in about twenty minutes, which makes it a weeknight favorite wherever Sichuan cooking is loved. Make sure the sauce is a little loose when the noodles go in, since they will drink it up, and serve it as a main with a vegetable side or as a generous side dish itself.

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    Step by stepInstructions

    1. Soak the vermicelli in warm water for 10 minutes, then drain and snip into shorter lengths.
    2. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook, breaking it up, until browned, 4 to 5 minutes.
    3. Add the doubanjiang, garlic, and ginger, and stir-fry until the oil turns red, about 1 minute.
    4. Pour in the stock, soy sauce, and sugar, and bring to a simmer.
    5. Add the vermicelli and cook, stirring, until the noodles have soaked up most of the liquid, 3 to 4 minutes.
    6. Season with the peppercorn powder and sesame oil, toss in the scallions, and serve hot.

    💡 Chef tips & storage

    Soak the noodles in warm water until pliable but not fully soft, since they finish cooking in the sauce. The dish is best eaten right away, before the noodles soak up every drop of liquid.

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    Recipe details

    Prep15 min
    Cook20 min
    Servings4
    CategoryDinner
    PublishedAugust 17, 2026
    Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes

    Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

    Hi, I'm Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes. Simple, tested comfort food for real weeknights, written down the way grandma would. Pull up a chair. More about me →

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