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

FAQs

Do Chinese restaurants use real crab in Rangoon? ›

It consists of cream cheese, sometimes sweetened, plus, usually, very small bits of imitation crab, stuffed into a wonton wrapper and deep-fried, served with a syrupy, neon sweet-and-sour dipping sauce. It is, essentially, deep-fried cheesecake with fake crab in it—as sweet as any dessert, but served as an appetizer.

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.

Crab rangoons, if you've never had them, originated at Trader Vic's restaurant in San Francisco in the 1950s and are crispy, fried wontons filled with cream cheese, imitation crab, and seasonings.

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.

Crab Rangoon Ingredients

The cream cheese will be easier to mix if it is room temperature. Lump Crab Meat: You can use lump crab meat that is found in the refrigerated meat section of the grocery store, or you can also find canned lump crab meat! I recommend using real crab meat over imitation crab meat.

The name "Crab Rangoon" is believed to be a nod to the traditional Burmese dish, "ohn-no khauk swe" or "ohn-no kaukswe," which is a soup made with noodles and chicken. "Rangoon" was the former name of Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar (formerly Burma), where the dish is said to have originated.

When it's time to seal the homemade crab rangoons, a little goes a long way. One of the reasons they might not remain sealed is because they're too wet. To avoid this, dip your fingers or a small brush in the egg wash or cornstarch slurry and shake off any excess liquid.

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.

What is crab Rangoon sauce made of? ›

Fry wontons in batches until golden brown and crispy, gently moving them around in the oil with a strainer to brown each surface, about 3 minutes. Let cool about a minute before eating. Serve with the dipping sauce. Whisk ketchup, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and sriracha sauce together in a bowl for the dipping sauce.

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.

To freeze: Lay your uncooked crab rangoons in a single layer on a baking sheet. Freeze for a couple of hours or until individually frozen, then transfer to a freezer bag. Keep up to six months. No need to thaw before frying, but oil needs to be at 350 degrees.

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.

Hy-vee Chinese Crab Rangoon (1 serving) contains 12g total carbs, 11.6g net carbs, 7g fat, 3.5g protein, and 122 calories.

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.