Snacks & Sides

Making Crab Rangoon Wontons At Home | But Better

They have many names, crab puffs, crab rangoon, and cream cheese wontons. If you've ever eaten at an American-Chinese restaurant, then you've likely had these before. They're pretty good but we can make them completely homemade, very easily, and more importantly... much, much better.

Prep
1 hour, 15 minutes
Cook
20-30 minutes
Total
1 hour, 40 minutes
Serves
20
people
Making Crab Rangoon Wontons At Home | But Better
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Ingredients

Wonton Dough:

Alternatively, can use store-bought fresh wonton wrappers

  • 125g all purpose flour
  • 20g tapioca starch
  • 4g fine sea salt
  • 70g hot water
  • 10g tsp vegetable oil
  • Tapioca starch for dusting

Sambal Gastrique:

  • ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (120ml) rice vinegar
  • 3 Tbsp (35g) sambal oelek
  • 1 red Fresno chile, stemmed and finely diced
  • 2-inch knob ginger, peeled and finely diced
  • 5 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

Filling and Assembly:

  • ½ lb (225g) good quality lump crabmeat, roughly chopped (preferably king crab)
  • 12 oz (350g) full fat cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 2 tsp (12g) Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 green onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, grated
  • 15-20 wonton wrappers
  • 1 large egg
  • Vegetable oil for frying

Directions

Wonton Dough:

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, tapioca starch and salt until blended. 
  2. In a separate bowl, combine the hot water and vegetable oil. 
  3. While blending the flour mixture with a fork, stream in the liquid and mix until a shaggy dough forms.
  4. Knead the dough in the bowl by hand for 1-2 minutes until smooth and supple. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
  5. Divide the dough into four equal pieces. Working with one dough at a time, press it slightly to create a flat oval. Run it through a pasta roller, starting at the thickest setting, which is the lowest number. Continue passing it through the pasta roller, increasing the number each time until you reach number 4 or 5. 
  6. Cut the dough into evenly-sized squares, dust generously with tapioca starch and stack. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
  7. Keep covered until ready to use.

Sambal Gastrique:

  1. In a medium saucepot over medium-high heat, boil the sugar and rice vinegar until it becomes syrupy.
  2. Carefully pour into a metal bowl and let it cool down until it is barely warm. 
  3. Mix in the sambal oelek, chile, ginger and garlic.  Let it sit at room temperature until completely cool.

Filling and Assembly:

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk the cream cheese until light and creamy. Whisk in the Worcestershire sauce until well blended. Fold in the green onion and garlic until well combined. Fold in the crab until thoroughly incorporated.
  2. Line up 5 wonton wrappers on a clean work surface and using a dry pastry brush, remove excess tapioca starch. Using a small cookie scoop, place 2-3 tsp of the filling in the center of each dough. In a small bowl, beat the egg with 1 Tbsp water. Brush all four edges of each wonton wrapper with the egg wash. 
  3. Working with one wonton at a time, pinch the two corners on one side together. Pinch the other two corners together. Bring those two points to the center and pinch together to create a pouch with four wings. Give all the crimped edges another firm pinch to ensure there are no openings. Repeat with the remaining wontons.
  4. Fill a pot with at least 2” of oil and heat to 350°F (175°C) over medium high heat. Working in batches of 5-6 wontons, fry until crisp and golden, about 3 minutes.
  5. Drain wontons on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. 
  6. Serve with the Sambal Gastrique.