Recipes Soups, Stews and Chili Recipes Soup Recipes Noodle Soup Recipes Yakamein (New Orleans-Style Noodle Soup) 5.0 (11) 11 Reviews 2 Photos 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. By John Mitzewich John Mitzewich John Mitzewich — aka Chef John — has produced more than 1,500 cooking videos for Allrecipes. He's the actor, director, and screenwriter whose hands and voice confidently walk you through techniques. Allrecipes' editorial guidelines Updated on January 16, 2024 Save Rate Print Share Add Photo 2 2 Prep Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 20 mins Stand Time: 20 mins Total Time: 2 hrs Servings: 4 Jump to Nutrition Facts Jump to recipe Yakamein might be the best noodle soup you’ve never heard of (which is very unusual for a recipe from New Orleans). Classic dishes from The Big Easy are known and loved all over the world, but Yakamein is more of a local secret. I don’t think it’s intentional, since I’ve been to New Orleans and the folks down there really want you to know about and enjoy all their food — but for whatever reason, it’s just not popular outside of Louisiana. Hopefully, this video helps change that — at least for you. Besides being an incredibly delicious thing to eat, this simple soup is supposed to be an effective hangover cure, which explains its nickname, “Old Sober.” Although, I’ve never tested its effectiveness since I haven’t had a really bad hangover in a very long time. In fact, I think the last one was in New Orleans. I don’t recommend starting an evening there with three Sazeracs. Ouch. Anyway, whether you use it to cure a hangover, or you just want a big, beautiful, steaming bowl of noodle soup, I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy! More recipes: Try the latest and greatest recipes from Chef John! Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 1x 2x 4x Oops! Something went wrong. Our team is working on it. Original recipe (1X) yields 4 servings 1 1/2 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste 1/2 teaspoon paprika 2 tablespoons avocado oil or vegetable oil 1 cup chopped yellow onion 1/2 cup diced celery 1/2 cup diced green pepper 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated garlic 8 cups water 2 tablespoons beef bouillon paste 12 ounces dry spaghetti 4 large hard boiled eggs, peeled and halved 1 cup sliced green onions Directions Place beef pieces into a bowl and add salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and paprika. Toss very thoroughly until meat is evenly coated. Let sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before browning, or place in the fridge until needed. Add oil to a heavy-bottomed pot, and heat on high until oil is shimmering. Add beef in a single layer, and sear until a nice brown crust forms, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn beef over, and let other side cook about 2 minutes. The second side will not brown like the first, but that’s okay. Turn heat down to medium-high; remove beef to a bowl and set aside. Add onions, celery, peppers, and minced garlic to the pot, and cook, stirring, until onions begin to turn translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add beef back in along with any accumulated juices. Add soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, granulated garlic, water, and beef bouillon paste. Stir and wait for soup to come to a simmer. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until the meat is very tender, 60 to 90 minutes. Before serving, taste and adjust with more salt or soy if needed. Keep soup on low heat until ready to serve. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain, and divide evenly between 4 large soup bowls. Chef's Noodle Notes: If preparing noodles ahead of time, cook until tender, drain, and rinse under cold water. Drain well, and toss noodles with a little vegetable oil to prevent sticking. Noodles can be held at room temperature until soup is ready.Reheat refrigerated noodles in the microwave for 1 minute, or add to a mesh strainer and dunk into hot soup, then divide into serving bowls.Cooked noodles can be added directly to the finished soup to reheat, but then even portioning is much harder. Ladle hot soup over noodles, and garnish each bowl with a hardboiled egg, hot sauce, and sliced green onions. John Mitzewich I Made It Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 924 Calories 40g Fat 76g Carbs 64g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 4 Calories 924 % Daily Value * Total Fat 40g 52% Saturated Fat 14g 68% Cholesterol 333mg 111% Sodium 2184mg 95% Total Carbohydrate 76g 28% Dietary Fiber 5g 18% Total Sugars 7g Protein 64g 128% Vitamin C 22mg 24% Calcium 141mg 11% Iron 8mg 47% Potassium 1164mg 25% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. ** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data. (-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.