Crab Rangoon
Cream cheese and crab wrapped in a crisp wonton.
via Wikipedia: Crab Rangoon · see source
Crab Rangoon, also known as crab puffs, cheese wontons, or cream cheese rangoons, is a crisp, filled dumpling appetizer common in American Chinese restaurants. The filling blends cream cheese with crab meat or imitation crab, scallions or onion, garlic, and other seasonings. A small portion is placed in a wonton wrapper, which is then folded into a triangle, a four-pointed star, a flower or purse shape, or a traditional wonton twist. These appetizers are cooked until crisp by deep-frying in vegetable oil or baking, and they can be enjoyed hot or cold.
Quick Facts
- Country
- United States
- Course
- Appetizer
- Main ingredients
- Wonton wrapper
- cream cheese
- crab meat or imitation crab meat
- scallions
- garlic
Facts from the source article.
History
Crab Rangoon was on the menu of the "Polynesian-style" restaurant Trader Vic's in Beverly Hills in 1955 and in San Francisco since at least 1956. Although the appetizer has the name of the Burmese city of Rangoon, now known by Burmese as 'Yangon', the dish was probably invented in the United States by Chinese-American chef Joe Young working under Victor Bergeron, founder of Trader Vic's. Trader Vic's featured a menu that included American Chinese cuisine, which could have led to the invention of the crab rangoon when working with wonton wrappers. A "Rangoon crab a la Jack" was mentioned as a dish at a Hawaiian-style party in 1952 but without further detail and so may or may not be the same thing. Although cream cheese was a staple of 1940s and 1950s American cuisine, it is not found in Chinese or Burmese cuisine.
More in Deep-fried Foods of the United States
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced