Ants Climb on Trees (aka Ma Yi Shang Shu)

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Ants Climb on Trees (aka Ma Yi Shang Shu) is a common Sichuan dish that is simple and delicious. It is made of glass (cellophane) noodles, pork and is a little bit spicy. Why is the dish called Ants Climb on Trees you ask? Well the dish has nothing to do with actual ants. The ground pork looks like little ants on the edges of the noodles which are like branches of a tree. It is a simple hearty savory dish.

Ants Climb on Trees (aka Ma Yi Shang Shu)
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Ants Climb on Trees (aka Ma Yi Shang Shu)

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Course: DinnerCuisine: Chinese, SichuanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

6

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

15

minutes
Total time

25

minutes

Ants Climb on Trees is a common spicy XO sauce glass noodle and pork dish.

Ingredients

  • 6 ounces of dried mung bean or sweet potato starch noodles soaked in water for 30 minutes

  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil

  • 4 cloves of garlic minced

  • 1 pound of ground pork

  • 2 tablespoons oyster sauce

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce

  • 2 tablespoons XO sauce

  • 1 teaspoon sugar

  • 1 1/2 cups water

Directions

  • Soak the dried glass noodles in cold water for about 30 minutes before cooking. This will help soften the noodles slightly before cooking.
  • Heat non-stick pan with sesame oil and add minced garlic. Stir fry for a minute.
  • Add ground pork and stir fry until just cooked. Add oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and XO sauce. Mix until all pork is well coated.
  • Add water and glass noodles to pork. Ensure glass noodles are covered with pork and water mixture in pan. Cover with lid.
  • Let cook until glass noodles become soft and transparent and then stir fry until sauce is absorbed by noodles. Plate and serve immediately.