Cilantro
Yakamein (New Orleans Noodle Soup)
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11 Reviews
T
August 1, 2022
I went on a search for a yakamein recipe after watching a Netflix street food series featuring Ms. Linda Green’s yakamein enterprise. I have no experience with the dish, so yours is the first recipe I’ve tried, and with no comparison to make since I never realized it existed, even while in New Orleans, I will say that it is a delicious and innovative concoction! It’s as easy as anything to make. I found the flavors perfectly balanced, with no single ingredient ever dominating. It has a high salt content but doesn’t eat salty. Next time I make it I will likely increase the amount of Cajun seasoning in the beef boil to a Tbsp. Thank you!
Zuri W.
August 31, 2018
"mysterious origin"??? wow gentrification is VERY real. Black veterans post Vietnam war made this dish. No mysterious origin. Do some research prior to sharing something.
Mark S.
June 14, 2019
Speaking of research, this from Atlas Obscura:
"There are several explanations for the dish’s origins. Some say it was born from the nostalgic cravings of World War II or Korean War veterans, who wanted to re-create the kinds of noodle soups they’d enjoyed during their time in Asia. Others speculate that the dish was born from a culinary conversation between Creole cooks and the Chinese railroad workers who came to New Orleans in the 1800s."
Let's not be so quick to criticize especially with something like this.
"There are several explanations for the dish’s origins. Some say it was born from the nostalgic cravings of World War II or Korean War veterans, who wanted to re-create the kinds of noodle soups they’d enjoyed during their time in Asia. Others speculate that the dish was born from a culinary conversation between Creole cooks and the Chinese railroad workers who came to New Orleans in the 1800s."
Let's not be so quick to criticize especially with something like this.
Zuri W.
June 14, 2019
“Let's not be so quick to criticize especially with something like this.” Nothing you said was included in the article. All that was said was a mysterious origin. Which takes away from the immigrants and veterans stories. Let’s give people their credit in history. I know giving credit where it’s due isn’t your peoples strong suit but y’all are gonna learn to stop trying to rewrite history. My family had made this dish for years due to my family having a long history of serving this country.
Mark S.
June 14, 2019
“Nothing you said was included in the article. All that was said was a mysterious origin. Which takes away from the immigrants and veterans stories.”
Which was why I specifically referenced the several possible origins of the dish. References which also mentioned the immigrants, people of color and veterans who may have had a hand in its creation. Filling in the record is not rewriting history. The fact that your family made it does not mean it belongs to them.
And just so you know, you don’t know anything about “my people”, a phrase which has been seen by some as an insult term. You also don’t know that I am degreed historian with a specialty in African history. I was willing to give the author of this article the benefit of the doubt, assuming they were uneducated not racist. I tend to do that with people until they show me otherwise. How about you?
Which was why I specifically referenced the several possible origins of the dish. References which also mentioned the immigrants, people of color and veterans who may have had a hand in its creation. Filling in the record is not rewriting history. The fact that your family made it does not mean it belongs to them.
And just so you know, you don’t know anything about “my people”, a phrase which has been seen by some as an insult term. You also don’t know that I am degreed historian with a specialty in African history. I was willing to give the author of this article the benefit of the doubt, assuming they were uneducated not racist. I tend to do that with people until they show me otherwise. How about you?
Zuri W.
June 14, 2019
When did I call them racist in my original post? 😭🤣 I said more research should have been done by the author prior to posting. Something we both have learned in college. Never said it belonged to my family either. But continue to give me the “benefit of the doubt” by assuming my uneducated.
Mark S.
June 14, 2019
Please explain this:
“I know giving credit where it’s due isn’t YOUR PEOPLES strong suit but y’all are gonna learn to stop trying to rewrite history.”
For most of my life I’ve been told that racism is not defined by the sender but by the receiver. So, is this racist or just anger? (there I go again, giving people the benefit of the doubt.)
And I did not call you uneducated. I called the writer of the article uneducated.
“I know giving credit where it’s due isn’t YOUR PEOPLES strong suit but y’all are gonna learn to stop trying to rewrite history.”
For most of my life I’ve been told that racism is not defined by the sender but by the receiver. So, is this racist or just anger? (there I go again, giving people the benefit of the doubt.)
And I did not call you uneducated. I called the writer of the article uneducated.
Pilar
March 10, 2020
Well, Vietnam is unlikely. As Wikipedia states:
The origins of yaka mein are uncertain, and there are at least two propositions: Some sources, including the late New Orleans chef Leah Chase, have claimed that yaka mein originated in New Orleans’s now extinct Chinatown that was established by Chinese immigrants brought from California during the mid-19th century to build the railroads between Houston and New Orleans and work in the sugar plantations of the American South. It was during this period that the Chinese noodle soup adapted to local Creole and Chinese clientele.
Regardless of its North American origins, by the 1920s yaka mein was already known common in other parts of North America. 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. The author indicated furthermore, the other noodles dishes served in disparate fashions may also be collectively known as yet-ca mein.
In the movie, Whipsaw, from 1935, starring Myrna Loy, a character in New Orleans, places a phone order with a Chinese restaurant, for, among other things, Yaka mein. This mention supports the origin story cited by Leah Chase.
The origins of yaka mein are uncertain, and there are at least two propositions: Some sources, including the late New Orleans chef Leah Chase, have claimed that yaka mein originated in New Orleans’s now extinct Chinatown that was established by Chinese immigrants brought from California during the mid-19th century to build the railroads between Houston and New Orleans and work in the sugar plantations of the American South. It was during this period that the Chinese noodle soup adapted to local Creole and Chinese clientele.
Regardless of its North American origins, by the 1920s yaka mein was already known common in other parts of North America. 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. The author indicated furthermore, the other noodles dishes served in disparate fashions may also be collectively known as yet-ca mein.
In the movie, Whipsaw, from 1935, starring Myrna Loy, a character in New Orleans, places a phone order with a Chinese restaurant, for, among other things, Yaka mein. This mention supports the origin story cited by Leah Chase.
Pilar
March 10, 2020
Incidentally, the Chinese word for "noodle" is "mein" or "mian"; the Vietnamese for "noodle" is "bún".
Mark S.
March 11, 2020
Hey Zuri,
It's been nine months since I replied to you. What frustrates me more than anything is the tendency of people to run away and hide under the bed when I refute their arguments. They never apologize or admit they may have misread my comments. Somehow I thought you might be different. Wrong again.
It's been nine months since I replied to you. What frustrates me more than anything is the tendency of people to run away and hide under the bed when I refute their arguments. They never apologize or admit they may have misread my comments. Somehow I thought you might be different. Wrong again.
loubaby
May 1, 2016
This soup sounds really good. I am serving a Pho For dinner tonight.... Will try this next.... Thanks'
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