Southern Yock Food

CHICKEN YOK RECIPE

Steps:

• Using the cutting board, julienne the vegetables, including the onion and bell peppers. Set aside.
• Next, prepare the chicken. Trim the fat off of the chicken before cutting it into long even strips.
• Drizzle olive oil into the wok, setting the burner to medium-high heat. Once the olive oil starts to sizzle, add in the chicken thighs. Season the chicken with salt and Creole seasoning. If not able to find Creole seasoning, Chicken seasoning is applicable as well.
• While the chicken is cooking, it's time to boil the eggs. Place the uncooked eggs in the small pot, adding cold water. The water should cover the eggs by at least one inch.
• Set the small pot on a burner, setting the burner on high to bring the pot's contents to a boil. Once the contents are brought to a boil, cover the pot and turn the burner off. After 9 minutes remove the eggs from the pot and place them in a bowl of ice water. Allow the eggs to sit in the cold water for 10-15 minutes before removing the shells.
• The chicken should be cooking on both sides, starting to brown. It's now time to add in the julienned onion and bell peppers along with the minced garlic.
• If the eggs are done, use the same pot to cook the Lo Mein noodles. Follow the cooking instructions on the box. Cook the noodles al dente.
• The chicken should be done cooking now, reaching an internal temperature of 165 F. In the wok containing the chicken and vegetables, add the chicken broth, Creole seasoning, salt, pepper, water, and chicken bouillon. Stir. Allow the soup base to simmer for 5-10 minutes. So as not to overcook, add in the cooked Lo Mein noodles once done simmering. Turn off the heat.
• Plate the Chicken Yok, adding the boiled egg and chopped green onion to garnish. The ketchup, soy sauce, and hot sauce are all topping used to garnish. The amount added to each depends on the individual's tastes. Enjoy!

SOUTHERN YANK PULLED PORK BBQ

Steps:

• Mix together the barbecue sauce, ketchup, onion, celery, water, garlic, honey, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, hot pepper sauce, salt, and black pepper in a slow cooker until thoroughly combined. Place the pork roast into the mixture, spoon sauce over the meat, and set the cooker to Low. Cook 7 to 8 hours; to serve, shred the meat with 2 forks, and serve with sauce.

YA-KA MEIN (AKA "OLD SOBER")

Steps:

• 1. Fill a stockpot halfway with water. Add the beef base, seasoning salt, Cajun seasoning, onion powder, oil, pinch of salt and couple turns of the pepper grinder to the pot and whisk to mix up. Place the meat in the stockpot - the water should cover the meat plus about an inch. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 2 to 3 hours, or until the meat is tender and begins to fall apart.
• 2. Remove the beef from the broth and using forks, pull it apart and return the shredded beef to the broth. Add salt and pepper, taste and adjust seasonings. Hold the soup over low until needed.
• 3. Meanwhile, boil the eggs, cool and peel them; set aside. Cook the spaghetti noodles according to package directions.
• 4. To assemble the soup, place a serving of spaghetti noodles in the bottom of a bowl. Use a slotted spoon to extract a serving of the shredded beef and add that on top of the noodles. Ladle the hot broth over the noodles and beef and garnish with green onions and half of a hard-boiled egg.
• 5. Dress it up with a few dashes of soy sauce, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Some folks also like to also add a bit of ketchup to theirs.
• 6. SLOW COOKER DIRECTIONS You can also prepare the meat in the crockpot - a good idea if you want to put this on before bedtime in the wee hours of post-Mardi Gras morning! Put the roast and seasonings in the crockpot cover and cook on high for 1 hour, then on low for 6 to 8 hours longer, or, cook on low for up to 10 hours, until meat is falling apart. Boil the noodles, eggs and assemble as above.
• 7. HISTORY, cont. Ya-Ka Mein is a N.O. dish made from a mix of noodles, meat, green onions and hard-boiled egg in a spicy salty broth with an Asian twist from soy sauce. Some dispute the origins of Old Sober in the N.O. area but it's believed that Yakamein was introduced when Chinese workers relocated there from south Louisiana plantations. Chinese immigrants were brought in alongside African slaves to work the railroads in the mid-1800's, and again later when more immigrants arrived to work the sugar plantations in Louisiana following emancipation.
• 8. The Chinese population settled into a section of town on South Liberty, near a newly established Chinese Mission. Soon shops, hand laundries, food markets, and eateries catering to the Chinese population expanded from the Mission and into the 1100 block of Tulane, creating a geographical hub for the Chinese community and what would become known as New Orleans Chinatown. It is believed that Yakamein grew out of this time in history.
• 9. If you're lucky enough to find the Ya-Ka Mein Lady serving this curbside in a local neighborhood, the broth is always ladled into a large styrofoam cup, then drained and repeated several times so that the hot broth will heat the cold noodles. It is then topped with half a hard-boiled egg and sprinkled with green onions. Here is a recipe so that you can have your own hangover cure on hand for a morning after a night to remember - even if you can't.