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Ants Climbing a Tree
Glass noodles soaked in a savoury minced-pork sauce — the 'ants' are the pork, not insects. Adapted for a home kitchen from the original ClouChef R&D report — 蚂蚁上树, report 178.
Original poster image from clouchef.com (poster: 蚂蚁上树_178.jpeg). This is the hero poster only, not a step-by-step photo set.
Prep: 25 minutesCook: 5 minutesTotal: 30 minutesServings: 1–2Difficulty: Easy–MediumRegion: SichuanFlavour: Savoury, spicy-salty
Why this works
The name is the picture: dark flecks of minced pork clinging to translucent noodles like ants on a tree, and the dish works when the noodles stay separate enough for that picture to read. That starts with the soak — 40 °C warm water for 20 minutes, never hotter, so the noodles soften without turning to mush — and with cutting them into 15 cm lengths, so they can be tossed and eaten without tangling into a single clump. The pork is fried first and set aside, so it cooks fully without overcooking while the sauce is built; the doubanjiang is then fried low until its red oil appears, and the pickled mustard greens go in for just 20 seconds to add their salty crunch. The noodles get at most 60 seconds on high heat, and the pan is finished dry and glossy, with no puddle underneath — wet noodles are the classic failure here, and the report's dry finish is the fix.
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Ingredients
| Ingredient | US | Metric | Substitute / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dried glass noodles (Longkou vermicelli) | 2.8 oz | 80 g | Soak in 40 °C warm water for 20 minutes, drain, and cut into 15 cm lengths. |
| Minced pork, about 3:7 fat to lean | 1.8 oz | 50 g | — |
| Yibin pickled mustard greens, rinsed and squeezed dry | 0.5 oz | 15 g | Rinse once to remove excess salt. Other pickled mustard greens are a substitute (adaptation). |
| Pixian doubanjiang | 1 tbsp + 1 tsp | 20 g | — |
| Cooking wine | 1 tsp | 5 g | For marinating the pork. |
| Light soy sauce | 2 tsp | 10 g | 5 g for the pork marinade, 5 g for finishing. |
| Sugar | 1/2 tsp | 2 g | — |
| Scallion, chopped | 1 tbsp | 5 g | Blanch in boiling water for 5 seconds, or fry for 5 seconds at 80 °C or above, so it is fully heated before garnishing. |
| Neutral cooking oil | 1 tbsp | 15 g | — |
Equipment
- Large skillet or non-stick pan (the report recommends non-stick for the noodle toss)
- Bowl for soaking
- Slotted spoon
Steps
- Soak and marinate. Soak the glass noodles in 40 °C warm water for 20 minutes until soft, drain, and cut into 15 cm lengths. Toss the minced pork with 5 g cooking wine and 5 g light soy and rest for 5 minutes. Rinse the pickled greens once and squeeze dry. Blanch the scallion for 5 seconds in boiling water and drain.
- Fry the pork, then set aside. Heat the oil to medium-high (about 180 °C). Add the pork and stir fast until fully coloured with no pink remaining, about 30 seconds — the centre must reach at least 75 °C. Lift out and set aside.
- Build the sauce. In the remaining oil, fry the doubanjiang on low heat for about 1 minute until the red oil appears. Add the pickled greens and fry for about 20 seconds until fragrant.
- Toss the noodles — 60 seconds maximum. Add the soaked noodles and toss on high heat so they coat evenly in the sauce. Add the remaining 5 g light soy and the sugar and toss for about 30 seconds.
- Finish dry and glossy. Return the pork, toss on high heat for about 20 seconds to dry off any excess moisture, then add the blanched scallion and toss for 5 seconds so it is fully heated. Serve in a white shallow bowl, mounded, with no puddle underneath.
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Technique: dry and glossy, never wet
The report's finish standard is visual: the noodles should look oily and glossy with no liquid pooling underneath. That means soaking at no more than 40 °C, tossing the noodles on high heat for no more than 60 seconds, and finishing with a 20-second high-heat dry-off after the pork returns. Over-soaked noodles or a timid flame both produce the same failure — a clump sitting in sauce. Use a non-stick pan if you have one, and keep everything moving.
Variations
- Chicken mince.: Minced chicken works the same way at home (adaptation); fry until fully coloured with no pink, same as the pork.
- Vegetarian.: Finely chopped mushrooms fried until browned can stand in for the pork (adaptation). The doubanjiang and pickled greens still carry the flavour.
- Milder.: Use less doubanjiang and a little more sugar (adaptation). The colour will be paler and the heat gentler.
Frequently asked questions
Are there really ants in this dish?
No — the 'ants' are the flecks of minced pork clinging to the noodles. The name is a visual joke, and the dish contains no insects.
Why did my noodles clump together?
Usually the soak water was too hot, the soak ran long, or the high-heat toss ran past 60 seconds. Keep the soak at 40 °C and the toss fast.
Why is my dish too salty?
The pickled greens probably were not rinsed. Rinse them once and squeeze dry before they go in — and remember the doubanjiang is salty too.
Storage
Best eaten immediately, while the noodles are glossy and separate. Leftovers keep 1 day refrigerated; reheat in a hot pan with a splash of water until steaming throughout, and expect the noodles to soften and clump. Do not reheat more than once.
Ants Climbing a Tree — Recipe Card
Glass noodles tossed with savoury minced pork, pickled greens and doubanjiang.
Prep: 25 minutesCook: 5 minutesTotal: 30 minutesServings: 1–2
Ingredients: 80 g dried glass noodles; 50 g minced pork; 15 g pickled mustard greens; 20 g doubanjiang; 5 g cooking wine; 10 g light soy; 2 g sugar; 5 g scallion; 15 ml oil.
Steps: 1) Soak noodles 20 minutes in 40 °C water, cut 15 cm; marinate pork 5 minutes. 2) Fry pork 30 seconds until fully coloured, set aside. 3) Fry doubanjiang low 1 minute to red oil, add greens 20 seconds. 4) Toss noodles on high heat (60 seconds maximum), season. 5) Return pork, dry off 20 seconds, add scallion 5 seconds, serve.
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Source note: ingredients, quantities and steps are adapted from the original ClouChef R&D report for 蚂蚁上树 (data/reports/178.md). The report's pricing, margin and marketing sections are deliberately omitted here; no B2B cost is presented as a home-cook cost. Original poster image: clouchef.com (蚂蚁上树_178.jpeg). Serving size for home use (1–2) and the chicken, mushroom and pickled-green substitutes are adaptations and are labelled as such.