Homemade Crab Rangoons

I like being able to make things at home rather than paying for expensive take-out, and crab rangoons are easier to make than they look. Price wise, a take-out order for 8 is about $5 where I live. Buying all the goods at the store, you can make 25 for about the same cost. :)

This recipe makes about 25 fried rangoons. (You most certainly can bake them, although I haven't tried this so I can't give advice as to cooking times.)

Step 1: Gather Your Ingredients

You will need:

Package of won-ton wrappers (found in ethnic or refrigerated section). Most have like 50 wraps, if you want to make that many just double the filling. If you have extra, you can freeze them for a month in a tupperware or zip-top freezer bag.

1 pkg cream cheese, softened. I like my filling very cheesy, so I buy the cream cheese in the 10 oz. tubs.

1 pkg (6-8oz) of surimi (fake crab). It's packaged conveniently, easy to chop, and muuuuch cheaper than the real stuff.

2 small green onions, chopped fine.
2tsp garlic
1/2 tablespoon of soy sauce
pinch of ginger
pinch of sugar
salt and pepper to taste

1 egg yolk
fryer or deep saucepan
vegetable oil

Step 2: Mix the Filling

Start by heating your oil on low and finding a good pair of tongs or high-temp-safe slotted spoon.

Put the softened cream cheese in a bowl and beat it a little first, to make it more workable. I sometimes add about 1/2 a tablespoon of milk to speed this up. Then add all the spices and mix well.

Finely chop the surimi and the green onion. Mix those into the cream cheese also.


**If you have extra filling left at the end, chill it and use as chip dip. Yum!

Step 3: Fill the Wraps

This works best if done on a cutting board or plate, as it can get a little messy.

Beat the egg yolk in a little bowl or cup, you'll use this as a "glue" to hold the wraps together.

With one of the corners pointing up, scoop about a tablespoon of filling into the center. Any more filling makes it harder to seal and fry.

Using a pastry brush or clean paintbrush, spread a small amount of the egg yolk along each edge of the wrap.

Step 4: Folding the Wraps

Bring the bottom corner up to meet the top corner. Seal the edges tightly, being careful not to tear the thin wrapper. The whole thing will look like a pudgy triangle. Paint a little bit of yolk on all of the corners and fold them in slightly so they don't open while frying.



**There are many variations on folding, I use this one as it's the easiest for me to do and it stands up well to frying.**

Step 5: Fry 'Em Up

Fry the rangoons on med-low heat on each side until the wraps bubble and turn golden-brown. About 3mins per side, this depends on your type of stove, etc.
Doing them in small batches works well (filling 5 at a time and then frying those), as the filling can make the wrap a little soppy if it sits too long.

Scoop them out with tongs or a high-temp-safe slotted spoon. Set them on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet lined with newspaper to catch the extra oil that drips off. This helps keep them crispy because they're not sitting in grease.

Let cool a bit, then enjoy the tasty goodness!