Star Saudi food blogger ‘nourished’ by fusion of Middle East, Asia dishes

Jeddah - Yasmine El Tohamy - RIYADH: Star Saudi Arabia food blogger Emad Ramen recently attended Geekcon in Kuwait as a guest alongside other culinary celebrities, where he was able to talk to fellow chefs about his increasingly popular fusion of Middle Eastern and Asian dishes.

“It feels so good to be invited to such an event, especially since my mother is Kuwaiti and we went there for the first time,” said Emad, who prefers to go by social media name “Emad Ramen.”

Prior to the event he noted that he was looking forward to learning “about Kuwaiti cuisine and meet chefs from there.”

Geekcon was founded in 2023 to celebrate “all things geeky, from anime and comics to comics, video games, movies and more,” according to its website.

At 32, Emad is making waves in the culinary world with his unique blend of Middle Eastern and Asian cuisines. Hailing from Saudi Arabia, Emad’s passion for cooking was first ignited by the vibrant flavors of Indonesian food.

“(It) gave me a great push to discover other Asian and international cuisines,” Emad explained. “And some dishes that I wanted to try from anime movies and cartoons, such as katsu curry and ramen.”

His approach to cooking, he said, is all about “continuity and departure from the familiar, trying new and inspiring dishes to share.”

Emad’s culinary journey has been fueled by a deep curiosity and a willingness to experiment. He finds inspiration from a variety of sources, including YouTube cooking channels and films focused on the kitchen.

He also draws ideas from his interactions with his online following, which currently stands at 1.2 million on TikTok.

“As a person who loves films related to the kitchen, my mind is always nourished, and there are many sources of inspiration, such as friends and followers, when they share their amazing recipes with me,” he said.

When asked about cooking tricks he has learned trying new recipes, he said: “One of the secrets I learned is adding soy sauce and vinegar to the chicken after cutting it during the marinating stage, which makes the chicken more able to absorb the spices and enhances the flavor even more.”

To make his dishes more accessible to his Arab audience, Emad has added his own twist to the way he presents his culinary adventures. “By Arabizing it, I change the names of Japanese and Korean dishes to Arabic names without changing the recipe itself,” he said.

He said he mixes “Indomie with different international cuisines” to help bridge the gaps between cultures.

Emad added: “I preserve the traditions of the original dish, but I develop it and present it in a new or trendy way that attracts followers and contributes to disseminating the video.”

When it comes to exploring cuisines from the East, Emad’s advice is simple: “Asian dishes are very diverse, so find what is suitable for you and try it.

“Do not do anything that you are not comfortable with. I know some Asian dishes that are very spicy or very salty. They may not suit some people.”

Emad’s willingness to step outside his comfort zone has resulted in people from other nations asking him to try new recipes.

“For example, a Moroccan asked me to mix a dish from Saudi Arabia with a dish from Morocco, and then the rest of the followers got excited to participate,” he said.

Looking ahead, Emad has ambitious goals: “I aspire to have a TV show, travel around the world and get to know different cooks, try new dishes and transfer them to the Arab world.”