Crab Rangoons

When Darlene of Blazing Hot Wok, host of the cilantro roundup of Weekend Wokking, announced CHEESE as the secret ingredient for this month's challenge, I thought I'd have to go with some kind of pasta or pizza dish. Luckily, I remembered I had crab rangoons sitting in the queue.

I know they're horribly inauthentic. Imitation crab meat and cream cheese in a fried wonton wrapper. And yet, every time I hit up a Chinese buffet, I can't help myself. Especially, if I dip them into cloyingly sweet and sour sauce.

According to Wikipedia, crab rangoons are an American Chinese or more recently, American Thai, restaurant staple. It may have been created or at least was popularized by Polynesian-themed Trader Vic's in San Francisco in 1957. But wait, wasn't Rangoon (now Yangoon) a city in Burma (now Myanmar)? Supposedly the dish served at a Hawaiian-themed party in 1952 was called "Rangoon a la Jack." Who's Jack?

Maybe we'll never know the true origins of this appetizer, but there's no arguing its deliciousness, or that Tiki culture is still popular.


Crab Rangoons

For a whole heap of a lot of appetizers, you'll need:
1 package wonton wrappers
1 8-oz package cream cheese
1 lb imitation crab meat
4 scallions, thinly sliced
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Optional: 1 tsp Sriracha chili sauce

You'll need imitation crab meat. Since crab rangoons are inauthentic, you don't want to get real crab meat now. Flake them if you wish.


Or grind with 4 chopped scallions, 2 tsp soy sauce, 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, and 1 tsp Sriracha chili sauce. Quickly pulse in a food processor.


Then mix the filling with an 8-oz container cream cheese. This might get a little messy. Alternatively, you can cut up the cream cheese into small cubes and then mix it with the filling.

Place about 2 tsp of the mixture on one side of a wonton wrapper, wet the rim of the wrapper with your finger, fold over, and crease. You know how to do this, right? I don't need photos to show you?

Or fold them into pretty shapes if you wish.


Fry on medium-high heat until golden.

Drain and serve. Preferably with sweet and sour sauce.

Enjoy!

I'm submitting this recipe to Weekend Wokking, a world-wide food blogging event created by Wandering Chopsticks to celebrate the multiple ways we can cook one ingredient. This month's secret ingredient is CHEESE. The host for August is Yasmeen of Health Nut. Do check her cheese roundup for 16 recipes using all kinds of cheeses.

If you'd like to participate or to see the secret ingredient, check who's hosting next month. If you've participated in the past and would like to host, please email me.

Since we're all about cheese this month, my other cheese recipes:
Baked Goat Cheese with Pesto and Tomato Sauce
Butter, Cream Cheese, Italian Meat Trio Sandwich
Celery, Bleu Cheese, and Walnut Salad
Chicken Enchiladas with Nutella Mole Poblano
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Cobb Salad
Deep-fried Squash Blossoms Stuffed with Basil and Cottage Cheese
Feta Cheeseburgers with Baked Garlic Fries
French Bread Pizza
Iceberg Wedge Salad with Bleu/Blue Cheese Dressing
Vegetarian Lasagna with Broccoli, Kale, and Zucchini
Vegetarian Lasagna with Feta Cheese, Spinach, and Tofu
Lasagna with Meat Sauce
Melanzane alla Parmigiana (Italian Eggplant Parmesan)
Pastitsio (Greek "Lasagna")
Ravioli with Basil, Squash Blossoms, and Ricotta
Squash Blossom and Prosciutto Pizza
Squash Blossom Quesadilla

*****
1 year ago today, Southern Baked Beans.
2 years ago today, Deep-Fried Squash Blossoms.

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