crab rangoon, or how do you say; Krab puffs

crispy, golden, light little puffs of creamy crab filling…. tell me there’s anything on a Chinese-American restaurant menu that’s tastier! crab rangoon are not a traditional Chinese dish, but one of the smart and great things we here in ‘Merica have invented. i’m pretty proud of us. i won’t order a combination plate without ‘em.

i served these Krabby puffs with a sweet chili sauce for dipping, such as this one, or you can make a more savory dipping sauce by mixing soy sauce, a little rice wine vinegar and sesame oil.

these are super easy to make at home! we’re using store-bought wonton wrappers and inexpensive imitation Krab meat because we don’t like to fuss around when we’re hungry. get a filling/wrapping companion (husband/friend/someone with opposable thumbs) and make an entire batch in a flash, then store them in the freezer for a quick appetizer any old time. or eat them all at once! i won’t tell.

i had the tail-end of a package of round wrappers, so i made some (roughly) pleated crescents, and then some square wrappers became the little envelopes. the Chinese restaurant near our place that i’m quite fond of makes them into these little stars that have a habit of sticking me in the roof of the mouth — not that it stops me — but honestly, they taste deeelicious no matter how they’re shaped, so proceed at your own level of wonton-shaping expertise. (mine is fair, to low.)

crab rangoon

• 1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced or pressed
• 1 12 oz package imitation Krab meat, chopped
• 1 5 oz can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
• 5 scallions, green and white parts, chopped
• round or square wonton wrappers (available at most supermarkets near the refrigerated tofu and noodles)
• oil for deep-frying

in a bowl, mix the first six ingredients. the filling will keep in the fridge for a couple of days if you want to fill wontons later.

on your workspace, spread 6 or so wrappers out and dollop a heaping teaspoon of the filling in the center of your square or round wonton. i like to keep a little dish handy, full of water to quickly dip my fingers in — lightly brush the edge of each wonton with water and fold over, pressing edges to seal and making sure to squeeze out as much air from the center as you can. pleat the round wrappers (someone who is not me will need to teach you how to do that properly) or tuck the ends of the folded triangle into each other, moisten tips with water, and press to seal for the envelope shape. set aside on a lightly floured baking sheet.

to freeze, transfer baking sheet to freeze in a single layer; when frozen, transfer to a freezer bag or other air-tight container.

to fry, preheat oil in a deep-fryer or tall-sided pan (about 3 inches of oil should do) to 350 degrees. drop in 5 or 6 fresh or frozen wontons at a time and fry until golden brown. drain on paper towels, and be careful biting into these piping-hot little babies. molten cream cheese ahhhhh! serve with dipping sauce and lots of friends to help eat!

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