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

FAQs

Do Chinese restaurants use real crab in Rangoon? ›

Crab rangoon is typically won ton wrappers, cream cheese, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, onions/onion powder, and either crab meat or imitation crab, which is a type of cured surimi called kamaboko. Real crab is much more "stringy" than surimi, and has a meatier flavor.

While wonton filling can vary from pork to shrimp with seasonings like ginger, garlic, scallions, and soy sauce, crab rangoon always has cream cheese and crab filling.

In a small bowl, gently combine crab meat, cream cheese, green onion, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce (if using), and garlic powder. Layout 3 wonton wrappers at a time. Place 2 teaspoons of the filling in the center of each. Dab the edges with water and fold the two opposite corners together to form a triangle.

Although the appetizer has the name of the Burmese city of Yangon, the dish was probably invented in the United States by Asian-American chef Joe Young working under Victor Bergeron, founder of Trader Vic's.

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" is a popular American-Chinese appetizer that typically consists of a filling made of cream cheese, crab meat, and seasonings, which is then wrapped in a wonton wrapper and deep-fried until crispy.

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.

Crab rangoon is a type of fried wonton, so they are really very similar. The difference is all in the filling. Traditional wontons are not ever filled with cream cheese (which is one of the main components in crab rangoon recipes).

We recommend using an oil with a high smoke point, like canola oil, for frying crab rangoons. (Learn more about the different types of frying oil.) Heat the oil to 375° or a gentle boil and then fry the wontons until they're golden brown.

How healthy is Crab Rangoon? ›

Worst: Crab Rangoon

It's mostly cream cheese, wrapped in dough and deep-fried to create bite-sized calorie bombs. Because they're small, it's easy to eat more than one. Finish an order of 4, and you're likely to get more than half the calories and fat you should have in an entire meal.

It is important that the crab rangoon are completely sealed otherwise the filling can leak out while frying and cause dangerous splattering. If you find your wrappers aren't sealing, it might be because the edges are too wet – don't use too much slurry to seal. Use parchment.

Cursory online research will tell you that a dish resembling present-day crab rangoon first appeared on the menu of legendary tiki bar and restaurant Trader Vic's, though some sources hypothesize these stuffed crab puffs emerged around the turn of the century in British-controlled Burma.

Filling: Crabmeat (snow and lump), Cream Cheese, Cabbage, Onion, Contains 2% or Less of the Following: Fresh Cilantro, Cornstarch, Egg, Salt, Spices, Sugar, Worcestershire Sauce (distilled vinegar, molasses, corn syrup, water, salt, caramel color, sugars, spices, anchovy puree, natural flavor (contains soy), tamarind).

As far as real vs. fake, it's a toss-up. The real crab had a much more distinctly "fishy" flavor which might turn some people off. The krab was a lot less assertive: One of my party guests is a hardcore no-fish eater, but even he didn't mind the flavor of the fake stuff.

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.

Fortunately, most restaurants that offer crab options rely on authentic crab. Many people wonder about canned versus fresh, and how to choose crabmeat. 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.

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.

A crab rangoon is essentially a cheesecake samosa, sometimes with a soupcon of surimi thrown in for color. A wonton is curled around a filling of sweetened cream cheese and deep fried. It's served with some kind of fruit preserve made mostly out of corn syrup and food coloring.