New Orleans Yakamein Recipe - Explore Cook Eat (2024)

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Yakamein...where have you been all my life? I recently discovered this dish and have fallen head over heels for it. I'm so excited to share a recipe for Yakamein, a beef noodle soup dish that comes from New Orleans.

I know you'll fall head over heels for it too!

What Is Yakamein?

My husband and I watched an episode of Netflix's "Street Food: USA" about yakamein. They profiled Ms. Linda, known as the "Yakamein Lady" who makes the best yakamein in New Orleans.

Ms. Linda calls yakamein (or yaka mein) one of New Orlean's "best kept secrets." I sincerely hope though that more people will discover this secret!

So, I learned that yakamein is basically a beef and spaghetti noodle soup. The soup is topped with hard boiled eggs, garnished with green onions, and seasoned with soy sauce (among other things). The rich delicious broth is what makes the soup so incredibly special (more about this later).

This soup is also called "Old Sober," as it is thought to be a great hangover cure. There are various origin stories, including one theory that was Chinese immigrants working on the railroads adapted their noodle soups to the local Creole cuisine. Another is that African American soldiers returning from war in Asia wanted to enjoy a dish similar to what they had in Asia.

Yakamein is not found in many restaurants in New Orleans, and not that well known outside of the city.

But you can enjoy it wherever you are by cooking up this New Orleans Yakamein Recipe in your own home. I have adapted this recipe from The Original Ya-Ka-Mein - Ms. Linda's Recipe found on LouisianaTravel.com.

🥘 Ingredients

The list of ingredients you will need is short, and you should be able to find everything at your local grocery store.

The ingredients needed for this New Orleans Yakamein Recipe are:

• Beef chuck roast
• Olive oil
• Spaghetti
• Creole Seasoning
• Soy sauce
• Beef bouillon granules
• Green onions
• Hard boiled eggs
• Hot sauce (optional - I recommend your favorite Tabasco! Or my favorite, Tabasco Scorpion Sauce!)

The magic in the soup lies in the broth. Now, I have not had the pleasure of trying Ms Linda's Yakamein, but I hope that one day I will have the opportunity! Ms Linda's spice blend (which is a secret) is used to flavor the JUICE (the broth).

For this recipe we will use Creole seasoning, beef bouillon granules, and soy sauce to season our juice. It's not Ms. Linda's secret spice blend, but I promise it's delicious.

🔪 Instructions

There are basically 4 main parts of this recipe for this delicious beef noodle soup to come together. These are: cooking the beef, making the spaghetti, boiling the eggs, and seasoning the broth.

Cooking The Beef

We'll begin by preparing the beef chuck roast by searing it and then simmering in water until fall apart tender.

Place a large skillet (preferably cast iron) on medium high to high heat and then add olive oil. When the oil is shimmering, add the beef chuck roast and sear/brown it on all sides. You'll know when to turn the meat over when it lifts easily from the skillet. It should take around 2 minutes or so on each side. Also be sure to brown the sides of the chuck roast.

Now place the browned and seared chuck roast into a deep pot or stock pot, and cover the beef with water. You are aiming to have around 8 cups of cooking liquid at the end of cooking so add water adequately. Bring this to the boil, and then lower to a simmer.

There will be some scum that comes off the beef when you bring it to the boil. It's recommended to skim this off using a fine mesh strainer to get as clear a broth as possible.

Cook the beef for around 3 hrs or so until the meat is fall apart tender. Add additional water during cooking time if needed.

Making The Hard Boiled Eggs

While the beef is cooking, make your hard boiled eggs. You can cook them to your liking or follow these instructions for hard boiled eggs.

Place the eggs in a saucepan and cover them with water. Cover the saucepan and bring this to the boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat when large bubbles start to break on the surface of the water. Keep the saucepan covered off the heat for around 15 minutes. Then remove the eggs and place them in ice water. Once cool, you can peel the eggs and cut them in half ready for the dish.

Cook The Spaghetti

You'll want to start cooking the spaghetti when the meat is finished cooking, and you are ready to season the broth. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Try to time it so that the noodles are ready when the broth is ready.

Season The Broth

Ok so here is where you make the magic happen! Remove the melt in your mouth tender beef from the broth after cooking it. Now measure out around 8 cups of the cooking broth. If you don't have 8 cups, you can add some water to make up the amount this recipe calls for.

Add Creole seasoning, beef bouillon, and soy sauce to the broth. Stir these into the broth, and simmer for around 3 minutes until all the seasonings have been incorporated.

Cut up the beef into smaller or bite sized pieces, and return it to the broth. Now taste the broth, and adjust for seasoning if needed.

And just like that, it's time to assemble your masterpiece! Put it all together by ladling 2 cups of broth and ¼ of the meat into a large bowl. Add ¼ of the spaghetti, then garnish with hard boiled eggs which have been halved, and some green onions. This will give you 4 very hearty servings of yakamein.

Now you can finally enjoy the fruits of your labor!

Enjoy A Delicious Bowl Of Yakamein!

It's time to slurp! I love adding a few splashes of my favorite hot sauce, Tabasco Scorpion Sauce, to this dish.

Trust me, you won't be able to get enough of this succulent and slurp-able dish! It's so hearty and warming and absolutely crave worthy. You will love it. ❤️

I hope you will give this New Orleans Yakamein Recipe a try and please let me know what you think!

A HUGE thanks to Ms. Linda Green for sharing her love of Yakamein with the world! Be sure to seek her Yakamein out when in the New Orleans area!

FAQ

Some Other Recipes You May Enjoy!

Here are some other recipes you may enjoy:

• Easy Eggs Sardou Recipe - the New Orleans take on the classic Eggs Benedict
• Easy and Delicious Crawfish Étouffée!
• Super Easy and Delicious Boudin Balls

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Cheers!

Grace