Yakamein Recipe (Creole Beef Noodle Soup) (2024)

FAQs

What is yakamein made of? ›

Yakamein is a classic New Orleans dish of slow-cooked beef and Creole spiced broth served with noodles. It's a bit of a mashup of Chinese and Cajun American cooking though to have originated with Chinese immigrants in New Orleans cooking with local ingredients.

Yaka Mein is a mashup of Creole flavors and Asian ramen noodles and is believed to be a surefire hangover cure. Yaka Mein can be prepared in a variety of ways and topped with whatever garnishes you choose! Below, you'll find an Instant Pot method as well as a stovetop version.

This is my take on yakamein (New Orleans-style noodle soup) that's famous only locally, but is one soup you'll want to know about. Known in New Orleans as a very effective hangover cure—its nickname is Old Sober—it is also a beautifully comforting and delicious thing to eat.

In a 1927 article published in Maclean's magazine, the author indicated that "yet-ca mein" consisted of noodles or vermicelli boiled in rich stock, divided into individual bowls and garnished with sliced hard-boiled egg and sliced and chopped cooked meats.

Yakamein is a hearty and comforting beef noodle soup with roots in both Chinese and Creole cuisines.

Some chefs trace yakamein to the Big Easy, where Chinese immigrants from California came to build the railroad between New Orleans and Houston in the mid-1800s. Another popular story describes it being brought back by African American soldiers serving in the Korean War.

Beef Yakamein (New Orleans Spicy Beef Noodle Soup)

This delectable beef noodle soup originated in Chinese American restaurants. Thanks to one New Orleans chef, the uniquely Creole version of it is gaining in popularity.

But in New Orleans, the dish's birthplace, yakamein is a street-food staple worthy of more attention. It's a delicious bowl, carry-out box or Styrofoam cup stuffed with spicy spaghetti steeped in beef or chicken broth, Worcestershire and soy sauce, ketchup, and sometimes, hot sauce.

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Yaka Mein, a beef noodle soup of Chinese origin made with a Creole flair. It's not your average ramen. Originally called “Ol' Sober,” the dish made its way to America in the 1800s by way of Chinese immigrants coming into the country to build roads.

HIPPIE RAMEN

Curly noodles topped with spinach, and finished with house-made scallion oil, fragrant sweet onion and a hint of ginger. Try with cheese topping like they do in Japan!

What is the most difficult ramen? ›

Some chefs actually purport that shio ramen is actually the most difficult to master, as it can't rely on a single umami-packed ingredient like miso or soy sauce to add depth and flavor.

Ramen is typically classified by broth flavor, with three especially common categories: shoyu (soy sauce), shio (salt), and miso. A fourth, tonkotsu, references the broth's base ingredient, not flavor.

Yaka Mien. Westernized Chinese wheat noodles sometimes called "Chinese spaghetti," these were developed in the United States (some claim in New Orleans) by Cantonese immigrants as a good noodle for soups. The machine-made wheat and egg noodles are fat and dense, similar to lo mein, only thicker and chewier.

Actually, the main distinction between these two popular dishes lies in how the noodles are prepared. Mein or mian is simply the Chinese word for noodles. Lo mein means "tossed noodles," while chow mein or chao mian means "fried noodles."

Its origins are murky, but some trace them to the 19th century, when Chinese immigrants worked alongside African Americans on plantations and railroads. These days, yakamein can be sought out in New Orleans as a hangover cure.

They're basically deep-fried egg noodles (or fried wonton wrappers or egg roll wrappers).

A more likely explanation is that New Orleans' version of the dish was born from a culinary conversation between Creole cooks and the Chinese railroad workers who came to the city in the 1800s.

Asian noodles can be made with rice, yam, and mung bean in addition to wheat flour, and even that wheat is a different variety than the durum wheat used in pasta. All of these differences in texture and flavor mean you usually can't substitute an Italian pasta for an Asian noodle.

Dirty Yak. Sauced up thick udon noddles with onions, dark soy sauce and shrimp! You can't forget the boil.