A preparation of glass noodles (Entry FD-35 context — mung bean vermicelli) cooked in a sauce of ground pork, doubanjiang, and stock until the noodles have absorbed the sauce completely — the tiny pieces of ground pork clinging to the translucent noodles resembling (with imagination) ants on a tree. The preparation is named for this visual impression and is one of the most satisfying of Sichuan's humble preparations: the glass noodles' complete absorption of the pork-doubanjiang sauce produces a deeply flavoured, slightly sticky, intensely savoury noodle of great depth from modest ingredients.
**The glass noodles:** Soaked in cold water for 10–15 minutes until pliable. Not fully cooked — they will complete their cooking in the sauce. **The preparation:** 1. Wok at medium heat. Oil. 2. Fry doubanjiang: 2 minutes. The oil turns red-orange. 3. Add minced garlic and ginger. 4. Add ground pork. Break up and cook until no longer pink. 5. Add Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce. 6. Add stock (approximately 300ml for 100g noodles). 7. Add the soaked glass noodles. 8. Simmer on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the noodles have absorbed all the stock — approximately 8–10 minutes. As the stock absorbs, the noodles stick slightly to the wok — keep moving them. 9. The finished preparation: translucent noodles, no excess liquid, a light glossy coating of the sauce on every strand, with the small pieces of pork distributed throughout. Decisive moment: The absorption of the last of the stock by the noodles — the moment between 'slightly liquid in the pan' and 'sticking to the pan.' At this precise point: add a small amount of sesame oil, toss, and remove from the heat. A few seconds beyond: the noodles stick and burn slightly at the pan base.
Fuchsia Dunlop, *Land of Plenty* (2001); *Every Grain of Rice* (2012); *Land of Fish and Rice* (2016); *The Food of Sichuan* (2019)