Kelp noodle salad

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Make this creamy kelp noodle salad with sautéed veggies and sesame dressing. Silky noodles, big flavor, and ready in under 30 minutes!

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Japanese, Taiwanese

Keyword: Kelp noodle salad

Servings: servings

Take the kelp noodles out of the packet and discard the water. Lightly rinse the noodles under tap water for a few seconds.
In a large bowl, mix the lemon juice with baking soda with a spoon. You’ll see bubbles immediately. Immediately add the noodles to the bowl, and massage them for no more than 1 minute. The noodles will soften.
Transfer the noodles to a colander rinse under running water for 1 minute. Set aside to drain well. The noodles are ready to eat.

Slice the baby bok choy in half lengthwise. For medium-size bok choy, quarter it. For large-size bok choy, Dice into bite-size pieces,
Rinse the bok choy until they are clean with no dirt between the stalks. Set it aside to drain and pat them dry before stir-frying.
Finely mince the garlic and slice shiitake into thin strips.
Preheat a large 12-inch saute pan over medium heat until you feel gentle warmth when placing your palm near the surface.
Add 1 tbsp oil and shiitake. Saute over medium heat until the mushrooms soften a bit, about 2 minutes.
Place-in the bok choy cut side down. Add the remaining 0.5 tbsp oil. Pan sear over medium heat for 2-3 minutes without moving them. You should hear the sizzling sound throughout the whole stir-fry process. If not, turn the heat up a bit.
Sprinkle in the salt and the garlic. Stir fry to incorporate, about 1.5 to 2 minutes. The bok choy is ready when the leaves are wilted and the stalks still have some crunch. Your pan should not be overly watery. Transfer them out of the pan and set aside.

In a dry cast iron skillet, add the sesame seeds and lightly roast the seeds over low heat while shifting the pan back-and-forth until you can smell the aroma and the seeds turn light to medium brown, about 5 minutes.
Transfer the seeds to a pestle and mortar (or a clean coffee grind) to process until they are coarsely grind and transfer to a large measuring cup.
Add the ingredients from mayo to brown sugar. Stir and whisk until no lumps.
Taste and adjust. If you prefer a thicker dressing consistency, stir-in 1-2 tsp tahini. If you want a stronger flavor, stir-in shiitake mushroom seasoning.

Add the softened kelp noodles to a large serving plate or bowl. Top with the sautéed bok choy and mushrooms. Drizzle in the roasted sesame dressing — start with ¼ cup and add more to taste. Sprinkle with extra toasted sesame seeds.
Toss gently to combine and serve immediately.

Dressing Storage: You’ll have leftover dressing — store it in the fridge and use it within 1 week. The texture will thicken after chilling, so thin it with a splash of water before using.
Kelp Noodles: Kelp noodles will continue to soften over time once mixed with the lemon juice and baking soda solution. For the best texture, soften them right before serving. If prepped too far in advance, the noodles can become overly soft and start to fall apart.
Store-bought kewpie dressing: My homemade version tastes just like the store-bought! If you prefer to save time, I recommend this bottle to stock up in the pantry!