Dan Dan Noodle Salad

By Hetty Lui McKinnon

Updated September 30, 2025

  • Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini. Prop Stylist: Sophia Eleni Pappas.
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Total Time
25 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Rating
5(2,149)
Comments
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Turns out, dan dan noodles work well as a salad, in this recipe adapted from my cookbook “Linger: Salads, Sweets and Stories to Savor” (Knopf, 2025), as the signature punchy sauce made with sesame paste and chile oil transforms nicely into an assertive dressing. Curly and chewy ramen noodles cling perfectly to the sauce, but you could really use any noodle you like, including instant noodles, udon or thick rice noodles. Adapt this salad throughout the year by adding seasonal vegetables such as mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, sugar snap peas, snow peas, spinach or green beans.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

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

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

71 grams carbs; 500 calories; 7 grams monosaturated 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

  1. Step 1

    Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.)

  5. 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.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
2,149 user ratings
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Comments

tan

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!

Cathrene

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).

Gale

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.

Hally

Made this as written (plus the frozen edamame another cook suggested) and it’s my new favorite! I could eat it for breakfast lunch and dinner and it’s really helping this trying-to-be-vegetarian happy.

Lauren

Used instant ramen noodles. Subbed small choy sum for bok choy and also added sauteed shiitakes. Was good but I felt the corn and veg got a little lost under the chile crisp dressing. Nevertheless, crowd pleasing and quite easy with minimal prep.

Anne of Eureka

Another Hetty winner. I doubled the sauce, used buckwheat-brown rice noodles, and threw in a cubed half-block of super-firm tofu. I could see swapping out cuke and grated carrot for the bok choy but it was delicious as written.

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