Back in the day, creamy chicken ramen was my jam. I grew up downing bowls of the stuff when I was too picky to accept the mere suggestion of a green vegetable on my plate. Heck, I even lost my first tooth while hastily slurping down those long strands of salty noodles! Now I realize that this style has a lot in common with tori paitan ramen, which has very rich and creamy broth, usually created from long-simmered chicken bones. Lowbrow instant noodles can’t compare to the depth and delicacy of the real thing, but poultry needn’t apply for to forge an authentic flavor in fraction of the time.

Be it mental malaise or a physical flu, this is the kind of soup that will cure what ails you, or at least provide a serious serving of comfort through it all. Such simple flavors are universally appealing across all ages and cultures; it’s the ramen that could very well unite a nation. The two keys to success are high quality stock options and superlative noodles, since there’s no where to hide these key players with such few ingredients in the mix. In a perfect world, you could make your own vegetable stock and reduce it down to a concentrate to replace the 1/2 cup of water, and go through the full process of making alkaline noodles from scratch… But for a quick fix, you really can’t beat this kind of instant ramen gratification.

Vegan Paitan Ramen

3 Ounces Dry Ramen Noodles (Straight or Curly)
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Non-Dairy Milk
1/2 Cup Water
2 Teaspoons Tapioca Starch
1 Teaspoon No-Chicken Broth Powder or Paste
1 Teaspoon Soy Sauce
1/2 Tablespoon Vegan Butter
Thinly Sliced Scallions (Optional)

Begin by setting a small pot of water on the stove to boil and cook your noodles to al dente, as directed by the instructions on the package. Drain thoroughly when ready.

Meanwhile, whisk together the non-dairy milk, water, starch, instant broth, and soy sauce, beating the mixture vigorous to ensure that there are no clumps of starch remaining. Pour everything into a small saucepan and place on the stove over medium-low, stirring frequently. Cook until thickened and bubbles break with regularity on the surface; about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, add in the vegan butter, and stir until melted and smoothly incorporated.

Toss the noodles in the sauce, transfer to a bowl, and top with scallions if desired. Slurp away without delay! This dish does not keep well nor get better with age.

Makes 1 Serving

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