Dan Dan Noodle Salad
Updated September 30, 2025
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini. Prop Stylist: Sophia Eleni Pappas.
- Total Time
- 25 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
FOR THE SALAD
Sea salt
10 ounces baby bok choy (about 4)
10 ounces fresh or frozen ramen noodles
2 cups/10 ounces fresh or canned corn kernels (or thawed from frozen)
2 tablespoons toasted white sesame seeds
2 scallions, thinly sliced
FOR THE DAN DAN DRESSING
2 tablespoons Chinese sesame paste or tahini
2 tablespoons chile oil or chile crisp, plus more for serving
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
2 teaspoons black or rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 garlic clove, grated
2 to 3 tablespoons unsweetened nondairy milk (such as soy or oat) or water
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
71 grams carbs; 500 calories; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 20 grams fat; 6 grams fiber; 1572 milligrams sodium; 14 grams protein; 7 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Step 2
Separate the white and green parts of the baby bok choy. Slice the white parts into thick pieces. Place in a colander and rinse well to remove any dirt or sediments. Drain.
- Step 3
Add the ramen to the boiling water and cook until al dente according to packet directions. About 1½ minutes before the noodles are ready, add the white parts of the baby bok choy and the corn. Just before everything is ready, throw in the green bok choy leaves and blanch until they are wilted, about 20 seconds. Drain immediately and refresh under cold running water, then leave to drain again. Let cool while you make the dressing.
- Step 4
Make the dan dan dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the sesame paste, chile oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and garlic until a chunky paste forms. Add 2 tablespoons of the milk and whisk, adding another tablespoon if needed, until the dressing is smooth and pourable. The dressing should be the consistency of cream. (The dressing can be prepared up to 2 days ahead and stored in a sealed jar or airtight container in the fridge. It will thicken up, so add a splash or two of milk or water to loosen it up before adding to the noodles.)
- Step 5
In a large shallow bowl, place the ramen noodles, greens and corn. Add the dressing and toss to coat. Top with the sesame seeds, scallions and a few drops of chile oil. Taste and season with salt if needed. Serve at room temperature.
Private Notes
Comments
This was a great dish. The sauce is the star and we 1.5x it because I always like extra sauce. We also used water b/c we don’t have fake milk. Added tofu for protein. Will definitely have this recipe on our rotation!
Dan Dan noodle sauce don’t have milk or milk substitute. You need dry noodles but not ramen noodles. Then you can use the water from cooking the noodles instead of ”milk”, just like in pasta. Also, if you don’t have sesame paste, you can easily substitute with creamy peanut butter (Skippy or Jif, homogenized peanut butter).
This was as good as it read. I used mushrooms rather than corn, and water (have no fake milk) to thin the dressing - which to me, really made this work. I didn't miss the pork at all, and for me, that's saying something. It was easy to scale down for one w/lunch the next day.
I’ve pretty much completely altered this recipe, but I love it. I use rice ramen, because my partner is gluten free. I don’t like book choy, so I use baby spinach (keeping it raw). I add broccoli florets to the noodles when I add the corn. I also add shredded carrots and sliced mini cucumbers to the baby spinach. The dressing I make as directed, but double it and use water instead of fake milk. Although the last time I cooked this, I realized too late that I had no sesame paste, so I subbed in cashew butter. Still delicious.
Made it as-is with a few additions: -Added soy& black vinegar sautéed shiitake mushrooms -Added ~8 oz of frozen edamame during the frozen corn stage Results: Delicious! Refreshing, fairly easy. Love the sauce and I do recommend making a bit extra Note: Highly highly recommend this with sesame paste. I cannot imagine how this would go with tahini-but likely way too bitter as many commented. I was able to order sesame paste off of Amazon due to lack of local availability.
I used tahini because I did not have sesame paste and I think it was a miss. Looking back in comments, I am encouraged to read others used peanut butter. I will make this again with peanut butter. It’s a pretty easy dish to make as others have mentioned with lots of vegetable and protein options. I followed the recipe and added grilled chicken.