Yakamein, most likely brought to New Orleans by Chinese immigrants in the nineteenth century, consists of noodles and strips of beef in a hearty, Cajun-spiced broth, topped with hard-boiled egg and scallions. You can find both upscale versions made with expensive meats and homemade noodles and corner-store bowls of stew meat with beef bouillon and cheap spaghetti—far more common and, many would argue, just as tasty. The master of this nourishing form is Linda Green, a frequent vendor at parades and festivals, who calls herself “the Ya-Ka-Mein Lady.” Green learned how to make yakamein from her mother and grandmother. While she has never written down the family recipe, she did agree to share a version with us.
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