Crab Rangoon (The Best Recipe!) - Rasa Malaysia (2024)

FAQs

Do Chinese restaurants use real crab in Rangoon? ›

The filling is made with a combination of cream cheese, crab meat or imitation crab meat, scallions or onion, garlic, and other flavorings. A small amount of the filling is wrapped in each wonton wrapper.

Wontons filled with cream cheese and imitation crab are named after the city – crab rangoons, whereas wontons just filled with cream cheese are often referred to as wontons – but they are used interchangeably. Wontons when not referred to as “cream cheese wontons” refer to dumplings like in my Wonton Soup.

Make the Filling: Combine the cream cheese, crab meat, soy sauce, sesame oil, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, green onion, sugar and pepper in a medium bowl. Scoop the Filling: Spread about 1 heaping tablespoon of the cream cheese filling on top of each wonton wrapper.

While actual crab is not the primary focus of crab rangoon, either imitation crab or the real stuff adds necessary flavor. The best shape for crab rangoon is a four-pointed star: It concentrates the filling and maximizes surface area for more crunch.

I love Panda Express' Crab Rangoons and they're so easy to make! Oddly enough, they don't use crab or imitation crab in their original recipe. Feel free to add some though, it's delicious! My local Panda Express offers 3 for $2.35.

They're common to find in Chinese restaurants in America. Panda Express cream cheese rangoons are very popular but it only has cream cheese instead of crab too.

For a sweet crab Rangoon, I added about 3 teaspoons of powdered, or confectioners, sugar. I say 'about' because one of them was a little overly full. Drop in your mix and stir together. Sugar to taste, so taste the mix between teaspoons.

It has a Burmese name, is served in a theoretically Chinese restaurant, and its main component was invented in New York in the late 19th century. I conducted a survey through Twitter, in which more than 650 people responded with their experience of crab rangoon. The vast majority adore this dish, as I do.

Recipe FAQs

You can use either crab meat or imitation crab meat in crab rangoon (and restaurants may use either one as well). Imitation crab isn't crab at all; rather, it's a white fish paste often made from cod, mackerel, or barracuda. Like crab, it's full of lean protein.

Worst: Crab Rangoon

Crab serves up lean protein. But this appetizer has only a little meat. It's mostly cream cheese, wrapped in dough and deep-fried to create bite-sized calorie bombs.

Who invented the crab rangoon? ›

According to his granddaughter Eve, crab rangoon was the brainchild of Trader Vic's founder Victor Bergeron. He was playing with wonton wrappers in the kitchen one day when he thought to stuff them with crab meat and cream cheese and deep fry them.

Make-Ahead Method

Once they're folded, simply place uncooked Crab Rangoon onto a baking pan or plate, flash freeze them for an hour, then slide them into a freezer bag or Tupperware container. This allows them to be stored together without sticking to one another.

Just place the crab filling onto square wonton wrappers, fold them into triangles, pull up the other edges to seal, and fry them until golden brown. To make these in advance, freeze them on trays, then fry them from frozen just before your party.

Though, if you are wondering if crab meat in a can already cooked, the answer is yes. This does not speak on the quality, but rest assured, fresh meat is more desirable across-the-board.

The best side dishes to serve with Crab Rangoon are lo mein, spring rolls, beef and broccoli, Popeyes Sweet Heat Sauce, mango Kani salad, fried rice, steamed dumplings, hoisin dipping sauce, wonton soup, Szechuan green beans, shrimp tempura, sesame noodles, Chinese chicken salad, and Peking duck pancakes.

The answer is not clear, as some restaurants will utilize canned crab for their crab dishes. Both are “authentic,” but one kind is superior in taste and quality. It depends on your expectations. If you are ordering from a restaurant, you should verify if they are using canned meat.

Just like the name implies, imitation crab contains no crabmeat. Fish is, however, one of the main ingredients. It is made using surimi, which is a paste made of fish and a few other ingredients. Surimi is often made with pollock, which is also used to make fish sticks and breaded fish products.