Beef Yakamein (New Orleans Spicy Beef Noodle Soup)
By Matthew FairmanPublished on December 16, 2021
Time
3¼ hours
Yield
Serves 6
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Smaller chuck-eye roasts (such as the one called for in this recipe) are sometimes sold prepackaged and labeled as chuck steak. If you can find only chuck roasts larger than 2 pounds, you can ask the butcher to cut a smaller roast for you or cut your own 2-pound roast and freeze the remaining meat for another use. Sriracha or Tabasco can be substituted for the Crystal Hot Sauce, if desired. We developed this recipe with Kikkoman Soy Sauce and Better Than Bouillon Roasted Beef Base. Monosodium glutamate, an umami-enhancing seasoning that gives this yakamein broth a savory boost, is sold under the brand name Ac’cent. Look for it in the spice aisle next to the seasoning salts.
Instructions
- Pat beef dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add beef and cook until well browned on all sides, 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer beef to plate.
- Add onion, bell pepper, and celery to fat left in pot and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic; Creole seasoning; sugar; onion powder; and Ac’cent, if using, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in broth and soy sauce, scraping up any browned bits. Return beef to pot and bring to boil over high heat. Cover; reduce heat to low; and simmer until beef is tender, 1½ to 2 hours.
- Transfer beef to cutting board and let cool until easy to handle, at least 20 minutes. Use wide spoon to skim excess fat from broth. Set colander over large bowl. Strain broth through colander, pressing on solids to extract all liquid. Discard solids in colander. Return broth to pot; cover and keep warm over low heat.
- Meanwhile, bring 3 quarts water to boil in large saucepan. Add pasta and cook until fully tender. Drain pasta and return it to saucepan. Cover and set aside.
- Using chef's knife, chop beef into approximate ¾-inch pieces. Divide pasta evenly among 6 serving bowls. Divide beef, eggs, and scallions evenly among serving bowls on top of pasta. Ladle hot broth into serving bowls to cover pasta (about 1½ cups each). Serve, passing hot sauce and extra soy sauce separately.
Time
3¼ hoursYield
Serves 6Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Yakamein (loosely translated from Chinese as “an order of noodles”) originated in Chinese American restaurants all across the United States when chefs improvised with the ingredients they had on hand. Thanks mainly to the tireless efforts of chef Linda Green (aka the “Yakamein Lady”), a uniquely New Orleans version of yakamein (a delectable beef noodle soup boldly seasoned with soy sauce and Creole spices) has seen a surge in popularity. After trying Chef Green's version and several others from around the Crescent City, we created a recipe of our own to bring a taste of NOLA to home kitchens all around the country; you can read our article on Yakamein here. Browning the beef chuck-eye roast before adding and sautéing our aromatics (the “holy trinity” of onion, bell pepper, and celery) created a deeply flavorful fond. Slowly simmering the roast in beef broth until it was meltingly tender created a concentrated soup stock, and seasoning the broth with Creole spices, savory soy sauce, garlic, and a touch of monosodium glutamate made it as irresistible as those we tasted in New Orleans. To complete our classic beef yakamein, we ladled the delicious soup over bowls of cooked spaghetti, the chopped beef, halved hard-cooked eggs, and sliced scallions, finishing them with dashes of more soy sauce and hot sauce.
Before You Begin
Smaller chuck-eye roasts (such as the one called for in this recipe) are sometimes sold prepackaged and labeled as chuck steak. If you can find only chuck roasts larger than 2 pounds, you can ask the butcher to cut a smaller roast for you or cut your own 2-pound roast and freeze the remaining meat for another use. Sriracha or Tabasco can be substituted for the Crystal Hot Sauce, if desired. We developed this recipe with Kikkoman Soy Sauce and Better Than Bouillon Roasted Beef Base. Monosodium glutamate, an umami-enhancing seasoning that gives this yakamein broth a savory boost, is sold under the brand name Ac’cent. Look for it in the spice aisle next to the seasoning salts.
Instructions
- Pat beef dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add beef and cook until well browned on all sides, 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer beef to plate.
- Add onion, bell pepper, and celery to fat left in pot and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic; Creole seasoning; sugar; onion powder; and Ac’cent, if using, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in broth and soy sauce, scraping up any browned bits. Return beef to pot and bring to boil over high heat. Cover; reduce heat to low; and simmer until beef is tender, 1½ to 2 hours.
- Transfer beef to cutting board and let cool until easy to handle, at least 20 minutes. Use wide spoon to skim excess fat from broth. Set colander over large bowl. Strain broth through colander, pressing on solids to extract all liquid. Discard solids in colander. Return broth to pot; cover and keep warm over low heat.
- Meanwhile, bring 3 quarts water to boil in large saucepan. Add pasta and cook until fully tender. Drain pasta and return it to saucepan. Cover and set aside.
- Using chef's knife, chop beef into approximate ¾-inch pieces. Divide pasta evenly among 6 serving bowls. Divide beef, eggs, and scallions evenly among serving bowls on top of pasta. Ladle hot broth into serving bowls to cover pasta (about 1½ cups each). Serve, passing hot sauce and extra soy sauce separately.
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