Two decades ago, I attended an outstanding performance by the Derek Trucks Band at Tipitina’s in Uptown New Orleans. The evening’s most enduring memory, however, wasn’t the music – it was a late-night culinary discovery. Stepping outside for air, I was drawn by an irresistible aroma to a man selling noodle soup out of the back of his pickup truck. For $5 I purchased a bowl of yak-a-mein – an odd name for an equally strange but perfect dish. This steaming bowl featured spaghetti and shredded beef in a fragrant broth, topped with a hard-boiled egg, chopped green onions and an unlikely drizzle of ketchup. After a night of excessive beer consumption and pervasive sidestream smoke inside the cannabis-filled venue, this strange meal truly satisfied the kind of craving that emerges in the late-night hours, perfectly capping off the night’s excesses. Though the music was outstanding, the memory of yak-a-mein is what truly endures.
Yak-a-mein, often called “Yock” or “Old Sober,” is an iconic noodle soup from New Orleans. For decades, this dish has been a favorite in the city’s African-American kitchens and in local mom-and-pop corner stores. Its origins are unclear, but yak-a-mein is a mashup of Asian and Creole flavors, reminiscent of both ramen and pho. It is a common sight at city celebrations and Second Line parades. Famed for its restorative properties, yak-a-mein is a popular hangover cure. It’s the perfect meal to ease the transition from the revelry of Carnival and Mardi Gras into the Lenten fasting season.
Yak-a-mein is made with a spicy beef or chicken-based broth seasoned with hot sauce, soy sauce and Creole spices (paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper). The broth is ladled over spaghetti and cooked meat (usually beef, sometimes pork or chicken). Yak-a-mein is traditionally topped with sliced green onions, a hard-boiled egg and chopped herbs such as parsley or cilantro. Some people like to garnish it with an extra dousing of ketchup, soy sauce and hot sauce.
The mystery surrounding yak-a-mein’s origins only adds to its intrigue. As is typical of many traditional recipes, the preparation of yak-a-mein varies from cook to cook. Since the recipe was passed down orally through generations, it does not appear in traditional New Orleans cookbooks; only recently have recipes been published in newspapers and online. Although the precise origins of yak-a-mein are unknown, one theory holds that Chinese immigrants who arrived in Louisiana in the 1800s to work on sugar plantations and later on the railroads inspired the dish with their noodle soups.
The dish had become increasingly difficult to find because many of the corner stores that specialized in it failed to reopen after Hurricane Katrina. Tourists tend to gravitate toward more well-known local specialties such as gumbo, crawfish and po’boys. However, the dish is starting to appear on the menus of sit-down restaurants, making this classic New Orleans flavor accessible to those who don’t have a Creole grandmother to teach them or a favorite corner store to visit.
Linda Green, the “Yak-a-mein Lady,” is credited with preserving the yak-a-mein tradition. A former Orleans Parish School Board cook for 25 years, her tenure ended after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when the school board never re-contacted her. Already popular in the city’s Second Line culture as a vendor and president of the Lady & Men Rollers Social Aid & Pleasure Club, Linda used her following to begin cooking for musicians, established a booth at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and became the main yak-a-mein vendor at Sunday second lines.
Yak-a-mein
Adding baking soda to your pasta cooking water will give your spaghetti the color and springy texture of ramen noodles. Seasoning four quarts of pasta cooking water with two tablespoons of baking soda and one tablespoon of kosher salt will give you the desired results without making your spaghetti taste bitter and soapy.
Four servings
Ingredients:
2 ½ lb. boneless chuck roast
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
2 tablespoons Creole or Cajun seasoning, divided (I prefer Slap Ya Mama brand)
⅔ cup soy sauce (or tamari), plus two tablespoons
⅔ cup mirin
2 tablespoons canola, grapeseed or avocado oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 quarts beef or chicken stock
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon ketchup, plus more for topping
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce, plus more to taste (I like Louisiana Hot Sauce)
1 lb. spaghetti, cooked to package directions
For serving:
1 bunch scallions, trimmed and sliced, both white and green parts
½ bunch flat-leaf parsley, stemmed and chopped
½ bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems, chopped
4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved
Extra hot sauce, soy sauce, and ketchup
Preparation:
Pat the beef dry, then season it with 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 tablespoon of Creole or Cajun seasoning. Place in a resealable plastic bag and add ⅔ cup of soy sauce (or tamari) and ⅔ cup of mirin. Squeeze out the air and marinate for at least two hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
In a heavy skillet or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Sear the beef on all sides until a nice brown crust forms, about 10 minutes. Transfer the meat onto a plate and set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and sauté the onion, bell pepper and celery for 5-6 minutes, until softened.
Stir in the stock and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the remaining tablespoon of Cajun or Creole seasoning. Tuck the browned beef back into the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer two-three hours, or until the meat is fall-apart tender. Turn off the heat and cool for 20 minutes.
Remove the beef and chop or shred it.
Strain the broth, discard the vegetables, skim the fat, then reheat the broth over medium-low heat. Stir in the remaining two tablespoons of soy sauce, one tablespoon of ketchup, one tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and one tablespoon of hot sauce. Taste the broth and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
When ready to serve, divide the cooked spaghetti and beef into four bowls, then cover with the warm stock. Garnish with the scallions, chopped herbs and the hard-boiled egg halves. Serve with extra hot sauce, soy sauce and ketchup on the side.
After a 40-year career in dentistry, Dr. Peter Glatz retired at 66 to pursue his lifelong passion to become a chef. This unconventional second act saw him gain professional experience over seven years in acclaimed kitchens nationwide. His journey from the precision of dentistry to the creativity of culinary arts proves that it’s never too late to reinvent oneself.
This article appears in January 22 – 26, 2026.
