‘Famous Noodles’ — Fried Spaghetti for Potlucks

by Dorothy Reinhold on June 25, 2011


Print This Post Print This Post Hung Le's Famous Noodles | Pepperdine University registrar Hung Le is famous for his fried noodle recipe | ShockinglyDelicious.com

In our town, Pepperdine University Registrar Hung Le is pretty famous as a potluck guest.

Whenever he is invited, he is expected to bring his Fried Spaghetti, which all the kids call…wait for it…

“Hung’s Famous Noodles.”

It’s an unassuming dish, fairly plain looking, but those who pass it by on the first go-around do so at their peril.

Trust me, it won’t be there when you come back looking.

Today the secret is out of the bag, because he is sharing his recipe so we all can be as famous in our own potluck circles as he is in his.

Fried Spaghetti -- Hung Le's Famous Fried Noodles on ShockinglyDelicious.comHe’s sharing the recipe, below, but I also want you to go read the feature article I wrote about him when I was writing for Malibu Patch. He’s QUITE the fascinating guy!

Hung Le of Malibu California on ShockinglyDelicious.comDone reading his backstory? Then let’s get a pot of water boiling on the stove, and get this going.

This one’s a keeper for all of you who need a kid-pleasing potluck dish that will gain you entry into any party.

Thanks, Hung!

Fried Spaghetti for Potlucks -- Hung Le's Famous Noodles

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: Serves 8-10

Simple Asian-seasoned fried spaghetti is the most popular potluck dish in Malibu, California! Hung Le brings it everywhere, to great acclaim.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound spaghetti, cooked and drained
  • 2-3 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1/2 medium brown onion, chopped
  • Seasoning sauce (Golden Mountain or Maggi), to taste (try 3 tablespoons of sauce first and add more if you like)

Directions

  1. Cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling water, and when done, drain it well.
  2. While spaghetti is cooking: Heat canola oil in a non-stick skillet. Sauté chopped onion for several minutes, until almost translucent; stir frequently to avoid burning.
  3. Add well-drained spaghetti to the skillet and stir-fry. Season with seasoning sauce to taste. Stir-fry until spaghetti is thoroughly heated and well saturated (but not swimming) with sauce.

Notes

Hung Le's optional additions: (1) Minced garlic (2) Small amount of sesame oil (3) Garnish with thinly sliced scallions and/or chopped cilantro (4) toasted sesame seeds.

Recipe source: Hung Le of Malibu, Calif.

https://www.shockinglydelicious.com/famous-noodles-fried-spaghetti-for-potlucks/

Golden Mountain Seasoning Sauce on ShockinglyDelicious.comHung says the secret ingredient is in the sauce.

His advice on how to make it:

  1. He has made it so many times he never measures the sauce while adding it. Like many good cooks, he adds it until it looks right—when the color of the spaghetti is a light café au lait color.
  2. There are several optional ingredients listed, but he rarely uses them. “The kids like it with just the onions and the sauce. Sometimes, I will make one for the adults and add garlic and sesame oil and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and chopped cilantro to make it fancy. For the kids, I will just make it plain. When I have two different kinds, the plain one is always the first to go.”
  3. He uses the Golden Mountain sauce, which he gets at a Vietnamese market. Maggi Seasoning Sauce can be purchased at Asian markets or most grocery stores.

{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }

Jane December 7, 2022 at 3:57 pm

What a wonderful recipe and legacy!

Reply

Jackie September 9, 2021 at 3:22 pm

This was delicious! Will make again!

Reply

ashok March 12, 2021 at 12:32 am

My Family Loved it. I am definitely sharing. Thank you for sharing such a great recipe.

Reply

Katherine Martinelli March 3, 2012 at 3:25 pm

Love this! Thanks for linking up to my blog hop! Pinned 🙂

Reply

Lana June 25, 2011 at 2:47 pm

I bought a bottle of Maggi seasoning in Germany, when I was visiting my sister – but had no clue how to use it. After reading this article, I am so happy that my Maggi has finally found its home:)
Sound really simple, but I trust you (food doesn’t have to be complicated to be good:)
I’ll use my kids as guinea pigs next week!
BTW, that International potluck at your school is a fabulous idea. I wish our district is doing something similar. I just might suggest it to the board:) Really cook idea, as we have a lot of different cultures leaving in the area.

Reply

Dorothy June 26, 2011 at 11:45 am

Lana,
The Multicultural Dinner is a wonderful family evening at school. It is free, of course, and just needs a couple of people to organize it, set up and clean up. Price of admission is you need to bring a potluck dish that represents your heritage, and serves 6. The array and variety that shows up is stunning, and delicious! Everyone puts a little 3×5 card next to their dish to say what it is and what culture it is from. It is also amazing to watch very young children trying all these strange dishes, and not turning up their noses at exploring new foods. Somehow, when your friend’s family made it, it seems more palatable. 🙂

Hope your family enjoys these noodles. They are very simple, and surprisingly addicting.

Reply

Rash Guard Woman June 25, 2011 at 8:37 am

We’ve been frying pasta in my family for years, but ours is slightly different: we take leftover spaghetti, complete with tomato sauce, heat up some olive oil in a skillet, (get it very hot), then dump in the pasta and cook until crispy on the edges. The slightly burnt tomato taste is FAB!

Be sure you have a lid for the pan or you will have red spatter everywhere!

So as a lover of fried starch I will have to give this recipe a try… thanks. 🙂

Reply

Dorothy June 26, 2011 at 11:48 am

Rash Guard Woman,
I love the idea of frying leftover spag and red sauce! Why didn’t I think of that? Off to make some spaghetti so I can have leftovers…. mmmm

Reply

Barbara July 29, 2011 at 12:18 pm

We’ve been “frying” leftover spaghetti for years. It’s not truly fried, but a couple tablespoons of butter and a 1/4 cup of water in a pot, add spaghetti and cover, medium heat, stir frequently until heated through. It’s very rich (the butter does it), and my son would rather eat “leftover” spaghetti than freshly made, and I have to agree with him!

Reply

Dorothy July 30, 2011 at 1:48 pm

Barbara,
Your version sounds good, too!

Reply

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