Expats are coming up with new twists out of the ordinary recipes of ramen. (Photo : Getty Images)
Master Kong's sour and hot beef instant noodles are Lauren Wood's favorite. Wood is a Beijing-based banker working for a German financial institution.
Many foreigners like her are making creative recipes out of common Chinese ingredients.
She said, "I love Chinese ramen (the name foreigners often use for instant noodles used in Asian cooking) because it's easy to find, cheap and convenient. Being a foodie, there was no way I could pass up Chinese instant noodles."
She adds two whisked eggs to the noodles and wraps them in a foil. After refrigerating for 15 minutes, she grills the noodles again for 8 to 10 minutes and tops it with cheese.
"By grilling the noodles, they become crispy on the outside and the cheese gives it creaminess," Wood said. "I am so addicted to it that I eat it at least twice a week to please my cravings."
Wood is one of the many foreigners who make innovations in what is traditionally Chinese. She also came up with a recipe for ramen noodle pizza.
"One day when I was eating a piece of pizza, it suddenly occurred to me that maybe I could try to make pizza with ramen noodles. So I gave it a try right away," Wood said.
Another expat, Emile Koekemoer, an English teacher from South Africa based in Beijing, adds Aromat to ramen. Aromat is an African spice.
"It (Aromat spice) has a distinctive taste. I live for the spice and add it to almost any dish possible for some additional flavor," Koekemoer said. "It makes everything delicious and reminds me of home."
Wang Fa, a director of a popular cooking show in youku.com, said that it's the unexpected taste of various ingredients that makes him experiment with food.
"The actual taste is not what really matters. Instead, the unexpectedness and happiness brought by each new exploration are what I care about," she said.
