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Turn a beloved pantry staple, ramen, into Baby Bok Choy Salad for a crunchy, healthy appetizer. Loaded with vegetables, almonds, toasted noodles, and a nutty homemade sesame soy dressing, this makes for a great light lunch or dinner starter.
If you haven’t eaten or cooked with bok choy yet, don’t be intimidated. Also known as pak choi, pot choi, or Chinese cabbage, bok choy is a cruciferous vegetable in the mustard family; just like broccoli, turnips, kale, and cabbage. It tastes like a mash-up of cabbage and lettuce, and the baby version is so mild that it’s great raw (as it’s used in this baby boy choy salad). In my opinion, full-size bok choy is best enjoyed cooked in some way. Grilled bok choy and stir-fried bok choy are such a treat.
Ideal room temperature or chilled, this easy salad recipe is a hit at potlucks, as a dinner side dish, or a make-ahead lunch idea. The crunchy texture yet subtle flavor of the bok choy really allows the accessories, including a bold, Asian-style Sesame Dressing, to shine.
And in case you find yourself overstocked on grocery store ramen noodles, this 30-minute salad recipe is the perfect vehicle for the affordable pantry staple.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Baby bok choy: Usually found sold in big bags at Asian markets. Use mature bok choy (Chinese cabbage) or Napa cabbage instead. Cut and clean bok choy just like you would celery: Trim off and discard the end of the bulb and separate the stalks. Rinse the stalks in cool water, carefully brushing away any sand or dirt on the leaves. Use the bok choy, both the leaves and the stems, right away, or wrap in paper towels and store for up to 1 week in your refrigerator’s crisper drawer.
- Ramen noodles: Curly, raw ramen noodles, right out of the package. And no, you don’t need the seasoning packet for this recipe. (See optional ideas for how to put those spices to terrific use below in the “Recipe FAQs” section.)
- Sliced almonds: I like the blanched, skinless sliced kind, but skin-on almonds or slivered almonds are fine, too.
- Sesame seeds: Raw or toasted; take your pick. To toast sesame seeds, in a medium skillet over medium heat, heat the sesame seeds until golden brown and fragrant, stirring occasionally, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately transfer to a plate to cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the pantry for 6 months or freezer storage bag in the freezer for up to 1 year.
Step by step instructions
- To make the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, olive oil, vinegar, sesame seeds, and soy sauce. Allow flavors to blend at room temperature while preparing the rest of the salad.
- In a large sauce pan over medium heat, heat olive oil until shimmering. Reduce heat to low. Add ramen noodles and almonds; sauté until toasted, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid scorching.
- In a large bowl, combine baby bok choy, scallions, and crunchy mix. Drizzle salad dressing over the top and toss until uniformly combined. Serve at room temperature.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes about 12 cups salad (or more depending on the size of your baby bok choy).
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator. While the salad is still safe to eat for up to 4 days, the noodles will soften over time.
- Make ahead: Make the salad dressing up to 7 days in advance. The toasted, cooled noodles and nuts can be stored in an airtight container for up to 6 months, or frozen for up to 1 year. Chop the bok choy and scallions the night before and refrigerate separately until serving time.
- More Asian flavors: Start off your next Asian meal with Crab Rangoon, Chinese Chicken Wings, or Korean Barbecue Meatballs. Try a side dish of quick Brown Fried Rice, Asian Cucumber Salad, or a hearty Chinese Chicken Salad with Asian Salad Dressing. For a delicious main dish, try Thai Peanut Chicken and Noodles or a hot bowl of Chicken Ramen.
Recipe FAQs
Just add protein! Top each serving with leftover or rotisserie chicken, grilled shrimp, or drained and rinsed white beans.
Definitely don’t just toss it; there are countless ways to put this savory blend to work. Dust ramen seasoning over popcorn, toss with vegetables before roasting, add a dash (or more) to the bread crumb mixture for breaded chicken, or fold it into perk up a previously-plain rice side dish.
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Baby Bok Choy Salad with Sesame Dressing
Ingredients
For the sesame dressing:
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (see note 1)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
For the salad:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 package ramen noodles crumbled, seasoning packet discarded (see note 2)
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds (see note 3)
- 1 bunch baby bok choy sliced (5 – 6 bulbs, see note 4)
- 5 scallions chopped
Instructions
- To make the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, olive oil, vinegar, sesame seeds, and soy sauce. Allow flavors to blend at room temperature while preparing the rest of the salad.
- In a large sauce pan over medium heat, heat olive oil until shimmering. Reduce heat to low. Add ramen noodles and almonds; sauté until toasted, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid scorching.
- In a large bowl, combine baby bok choy, scallions, and crunchy mix. Drizzle salad dressing over the top and toss until uniformly combined. Serve at room temperature.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Sesame seeds: Raw or toasted; take your pick. To toast sesame seeds, in a medium skillet over medium heat, heat the sesame seeds until golden brown and fragrant, stirring occasionally, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately transfer to a plate to cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the pantry for 6 months or freezer storage bag in the freezer for up to 1 year.
- Ramen noodles: Dry, raw ramen noodles, right out of the package. And no, you don’t need the seasoning packet for this recipe (but see FAQs for ideas on what to do with it).
- Sliced almonds: I like the blanched, skinless sliced kind, but skin-on almonds or slivered almonds are fine, too.
- Baby bok choy: Usually found sold in big bags at Asian markets. Use mature bok choy (Chinese cabbage) or Napa cabbage instead. Cut and clean bok choy just like you would celery: Trim off and discard the end of the bulb and separate the stalks. Rinse the stalks in cool water, carefully brushing away any sand or dirt on the leaves. Use the bok choy, both the leaves and the stems, right away, or wrap in paper towels and store for up to 1 week in your refrigerator’s crisper drawer.
- Yield: This recipe makes about 12 c. salad (or more depending on the size of your baby bok choy).
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator. While the salad is still safe to eat for up to 4 days, the noodles will soften over time.
- Make ahead: Make the salad dressing up to 7 days in advance. The toasted, cooled noodles and nuts can be stored in an airtight container for up to 6 months, or frozen for up to 1 year. Chop the bok choy and scallions the night before and refrigerate separately until serving time.
*perfect. Sorry for the typos.
I also wanted to add that never in my life have I left a comment on a recipe except for this one. 🙂
I have made this at least every other week since I ran across it several months ago. I do add a bit of toasted sesame oil to the dressing, but it definitely is prefect the way it’s written. Thank you so much for posting this recipe. It’s addixtive.
You can tell I make this on a regular basis as this is my 3rd comment! I always use peanut oil in the dressing. You can’t taste the peanut flavor once the salad is complete, but it does add a more Asian edge, if you want an Asian salad. This recipe is so amazing; you can add and subtract whatever you want, and it always comes out amazing. Guests & potluck friends always ask for the recipe. I anticipate this and always have recipe cards to hand out.
I like to add a teaspoon or two of Sesame oil to the dressing.
What can i use instead of the red wine vinegar? Can’t have wine
Hi Kathy! I would use another vinegar, perhaps apple cider vinegar. I think regular white vinegar would not be as flavorful, but you might be able to play around with the other ingredients to make it work if that’s what you have. I hope this is helpful! Sorry for the delay in my response.
Hi Kathy! I would use another vinegar, perhaps apple cider vinegar. I think regular white vinegar would not be as flavorful, but you might be able to play around with the other ingredients to make it work if that’s what you have. I hope this is helpful! Sorry for the delay in my response.
Rice vinegar is very subtle.
I can’t have red wine vinegar can I use apple cider vinegar instead or what would you suggest?
This was absolutely delicious . I did not have sesame seeds so I substituted sesame oil for the olive oil and cut the sugar in half. We loved it.
Thank you so much Caroline!! This makes my day. I’ve tried it with less sugar as well and it’s really so good either way. Thanks again and take care! Thank you!
Hi
Thanks for your post! I appreciate the dressing recipe as I usually make this with premade Sesame dressing from Costco. I usually add some breaded chicken ( cut up in cubes) to this recipe when I serve it, for those who desire some added protein;)
Hi Clera, the breaded chicken sounds AWESOME. Protein yes, and also for anyone who wants some awesome in their salad. 🙂 I will look for the Costco dressing. It’s nice to have something in the pantry once in a while! Thanks for your comment.
Is there a substitute for the red wine vinegar that I could use? I’m not supposed to have vinegar.
Hi Bev, you could lemon juice. I haven’t tested it myself, but I think it would taste good (I use it in dressings a lot). The acid in it will be balanced out by the sweetness in the brown sugar (and there isn’t much vinegar/lemon juice required, anyway). It’s worth a shot if you want to try! Good luck.
Could just be the formatting in my device but the recipes says:
2 tablespoons cup red wine vinegative
Does that mean 2 Tablespoons + cup? That would explain the sugar but it seems that ft?
Hey Jill, that is just a typo. So sorry about that! It should be 2 Tablespoons of red wine vinegar. Basically, the original recipe had twice as much recipe (so it was 1/4 cup of the red wine vinegar) but that would leave the salad SWIMMING in dressing. It was entirely unnecessary. So, I halved the dressing. It is definitely 1/4 cup sugar and olive oil and then 2 T. red wine vinegar. Sorry about that and thanks for pointing it out. I should also say that you can make the dressing however you like! 🙂
We love baby bok choy and the stores in our neighborhood have really fresh ones in this week. I know we’ll love this salad. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe.
Thank you so much, Kathryn! 🙂