To celebrate the start of the Olympics we’re holding the first of our monthly culinary challenges on our Beyond Baked Beans page on Facebook to prove there is life not only beyond baked beans but beyond Pot Noodles too.

Send us a recipe, a pic or, even better a video of your favourite noodle dish and you could be in with a chance of winning a fabulous prize including a Ken Hom 10 piece wok set (right), a copy of new TV star Ching-He Huang’s Chinese Cooking Made Easy and anything else China- or noodle-related we can come up with.

Your recipe doesn’t have to be Chinese but should be Asian (and not pasta - that’s technically correct but not in the spirit of the challenge!) It could be wet noodles, stir fry noodles (like Monday’s recipe), crispy noodles or a cold noodle salad.

Marks, which are entirely at the discretion of the judges (me and whoever else I rope in to assess the entries), will be awarded for:

• originality/authenticity. Extra points will be awarded for your own recipe or one you’ve garnered on your travels. You may credit someone else’s recipe but please don’t pretend it’s your own or you’ll get us into all kinds of trouble.

• quality and clarity of writing. Could your average student (OK, your slightly above average student) follow the recipe and produce an edible result?

• visual appeal - release your inner food stylist!
• cheapness. Not likely to be a problem with a noodle dish but the ingredients should be affordable on a student budget. £2.50 a head max!
  
  The competition is, I’m afraid, only open to UK students simply because of the hassle and cost of dispatching prizes outside the UK. Unless you’re happy to send us a recipe just for the hell of it . . .
  
  Special commendation though not necessarily a prize may be given for a particularly witty or ingenious entry or noodle-related pic or video.
  
  Post your entry on the Beyond Baked Beans student cooking page, upload a fan pic or video or mail me a recipe at [email protected]. The closing date for entries is August 31st.

If you've enjoyed this article why not visit the Beyond Baked Beans page on Facebook where you can contribute your own tips and recipes.