Dan Dan Noodle Salad

Dan Dan Noodle Salad - Hetty Lui McKinnon

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.

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

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

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.

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.

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.)

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.

TIP: 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!

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.