Kitchen of 'dorm chef' closed for safety reasons

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Hand-made noodles glazed with spicy-hot oil, freshly cut bamboo filled with steamed rice, milk pudding mixed with grape-flavored gummy candies – could you imagine all these delicacies being prepared in a tiny university dorm room?

Zhang's hand-pulled noodles cooked with minced meat and vegetables. /Screenshot from Miaopai

Zhang Shichuang, a university student from southwest China’s Yunnan Province, has recently caused an online sensation by producing videos of him cooking traditional as well as fusion Chinese food in his campus dorm.

Zhang makes bamboo rice from scratch. /Yunnan.cn Photo

In his amateur videos, Zhang awed thousands of netizens by making complicated Chinese dishes by using simple cooking utensils and raw food materials. Some of his featured creations included hand-pulled noodles, bamboo rice, deep-fried bread sticks and smoked chicken wings.

"I enjoyed cooking, and my mom used to work at a restaurant, so I learned to cook from her," Zhang told local media outlet Yunnan.cn.

Zhang cooks steamed buns. /Yunnan.cn Photo

Coming from northern China, Zhang found he had different taste buds from Yunnan locals, so he decided to cook some hometown specialties to share with his roommates. He started uploading and sharing videos in September.

"My dorm mates supported me [cooking and making videos], as long as I cooked for them," Zhang said.

Zhang shared the dorm with another five students, who not only helped the chef record the videos but also starred, in turn, they enjoyed the food.

The "dorm room chef" invites his roommate to taste his creation. /Yunnan.cn Photo

Though thousands of netizens welcomed Zhang’s cooking videos, the university barred him from cooking any more in the dorm, saying he violated residential safety regulations.

"The student used open fire, so he violated the school’s regulation," a supervisor from the university told Yunnan.cn.

"Personally I’m not against his creativity, but we have to put students’ safety first."

Zhang’s cooking utensils including solid alcohol and electric cooking pan were taken away and would be returned to him after he graduates.

Zhang burns solid alcohol to cook bamboo rice. /Screenshot from Miaopai

To ensure students’ safety, most residential halls in China prohibit students from using an open fire or high-power electrical appliances.

Banned from cooking with flame, Zhang was later seen making pickled vegetables with Sprite in his latest cooking video.

Zhang makes pickled vegetables with Sprite. /Screenshot from Miaopai

"The school should totally offer you a food counter to show your cooking skills!" @gezhongwulitou2 commented.