There are two schools of thought concerning the origins of this dish. One states that it was a food that was introduced at the World's Fair held in St. Louis Missouri in 1904. The other story is that the dish was invented at the famous Trader Vic's Polynesian restaurant in Oakland California in the early 1950's. Whatever their origin, they're tasty, and easy to make.
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 green onion, minced
- pinch of pepper
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 8 oz. package of cream cheese
- 8 oz. fresh or canned crab meat
- wonton skins
- oil for frying
Break up crab meat and combine with cream cheese. Add remaining ingredients (except for wonton skins) one at a time, thoroughly mixing before adding another ingredient.
Lay out wonton skins and put 1 teaspoon of the mixture in the center of each wonton and spread it out, leaving enough of the edges of the wonton bare that they can be pressed together. Wet the edges of the wonton and fold to create a triangle, making sure to remove all the air before pressing the edges together. Continue until all mixture is used up, covering finished rangoons with a towel so they won't dry out.
Put frying oil in wok at least 2 inches deep. Heat oil to 360-375. Carefully slide in wontons and let fry for about 3 minutes total, turning once half way through. Do wontons in batches, the number of each batch depending on the size of the wok.
Serve with sweet and sour sauce, soy sauce, hot mustard, or eat them plain! Cooked or smoked salmon can be substituted for the crab. This recipe makes about 48 crab rangoon.
