‘Ants Climbing a Tree’ Noodles

This is one of my favourite Sichuan dishes. It’s a very charming example of a dish named after the story behind it, the tale of an impoverished heroine who cooked a meal for her sick mother-in-law, only to be asked why there were ants all over it (the ‘ants’ being the minced pork stuck to the noodle threads). Call it what you will, there’s no denying these noodles are incredibly tasty.