Crab rangoons are my absolute favorite thing to pile my plate with at Chinese buffets and, not to be dramatic, but my life truly changed when I learned how to make them at home. Now I can eat those sweet and savory little cream cheese pouches whenever I want! No more paying for the buffet just to pile up on these babies! I tweaked this recipe a few times, but I've settled on what I think is the perfect flavor! Let's Get Cooking! or continue reading for everything you need to know before making these!
Tools You'll Need:
Large Mixing Bowl
Cutting Board
Chef's Knife
Mixing Spoon
Small Bowl or Cup
Tablespoon
Heavy Bottom Pot or Deep Fryer
Plate
Paper Towels
Ingredients:
Cream Cheese-Any cream cheese should work just fine in this recipe, so if you are watching your fat consumption or are averse to dairy, feel free to use whatever kind suits you!
Powdered Sugar-While not necessary in this recipe, especially because imitation crab is often fairly sweet, it helps match the flavor that many restaurants have with the crab rangoons (pretty sweet).
Imitation Crab-Because you will be chopping it up finely, the cut you buy your imitation crab in doesn't matter. You can also use fresh or canned crab, but since most restaurants use imitation crab in their rangoons, it's the most familiar taste (and the cheapest too).
Green Onions-The green onions in this recipe are absolutely essential in providing balance to the dish. The freshness and acidity of the onions helps cut back the fattiness of the cream cheese and the sweetness of the crab.
Wonton Wrappers-Technically you can use any type of wonton or eggroll wrapper for these, but my go to are the small 3 or 4" squares. The brand that's most available to me is Nasoya Wonton Wrappers.
Vegetable Oil-Just vegetable oil for frying. Feel free to substitute it for canola, peanut, corn, or just about any other oil. I would avoid oils like olive though, because they have a lower smoke point and are therefore generally bad for deep frying.
Notes:
Sweet Sweet Rangoonery-As mentioned above, I add powdered sugar in this recipe because most crab rangoons from buffets are quite sweet. While I will eat anything sweet, fatty, and deep fried (I am American, afterall), I get that it's not for everyone, so feel free to exclude the powdered sugar.
It's All About the Fold-There are probably dozens of ways to fold a wonton wrapper, but my go-to for rangoons is the pyramid shape, pictured above. You start by bringing one corner up, over the filled, the add you bring each corner up, you seal the edges. The next time I make this recipe, I will make examples of multiple types of folds and include pictures here!
Would You Like Some Sauce?-Sweet and sour sauce is a requirement to have with crab rangoons in my book. The sweet and acidic sauce is perfect for complimenting the flavors of the rangoon and cutting back the fattiness. You can always use store bought, but I recommend you use my recipe here!
Let's Get Cooking!
Comments