Shrimp Rangoon
I looked up the history of the crab rangoon and was surprised in my five minutes of research to find that the “Rangoon” (notice it’s capitalized), is from the city Yangon, also called Rangoon. It’s the former capital of Burma, which is now Myanmar. History lesson of the day. Rangoons are also thought to have been invented in the U.S. So why would an American dish have the name Rangoon in the title? My only thoughts are that I need to do more research, or that the “inventor” had ties to the city. I do not ingest shrimp rangoons because of the ancient Asian history. Rather, it’s eaten because its delicious creamy, garlic, seafood filling is spot on in my book. Shrimp Rangoon anyone?
Recipe Highlights
These bite-sized delights are pretty simple to make if you have the patience to fry. My kitchen minions lost the cord to my deep fryer, so I’m left with the old fashion cast iron skillet method. With a little origami work with the wonton, you’ll have a nifty looking appetizer in no time…well in about 30 minutes.
I like to heat the frying oil while I’m prepping everything so it’s an even temp. While that’s going, I make the shrimp rangoon filling. Shrimp first. I had medium size shrimp on hand in my freezer so I chopped it into bits. To add an extra layer of flavor, (in a separate pan from the frying oil) I tossed in some garlic and salt and cooked it in a bit of olive oil for a couple minutes. Shrimp doesn’t take long to cook. I’d say about five minutes max.
In my mixer, I combined the cream cheese, Worcestershire and soy sauce, onion and garlic powder, and a bit of sesame oil. I also tossed in a little green onion (scallions). Mix until creamy, then add the shrimp.
Wonton Origami
- Lay your wonton wrapper on a flat surface; fill with about 1.5 teaspoons of filling. This is not an exact science.
Your mission should you choose to accept it: don’t make the filling overflow. Not hard, however, it does require a level one kitchen ninja to complete, but my eight-year-old has already hit that milestone. You will do fine. - Next, bring two opposite corners together to form a triangle (three-sided polygon).
- Bring the other corners together which form the long side (hypotenuse).
Ever made a fortune teller as a child? It’s similar to that.
Now that you have a 3D edible shrimp container, it’s time to fry. This part only takes a couple minutes; maybe three to five. Once it’s the right color, light golden brown, you’re done. Now, just put on a paper towel to catch any excess oil, then enjoy!
If you’re up for making dipping sauce at home, check out my recipe for homemade teriyaki sauce or bang bang sauce. You can also try a sweet chili sauce.
Shrimp Rangoon
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 10 oz bag tiny shrimp
- 1 green onions sliced
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 2 cups oil (for frying)
- 24 wonton wrappers
Instructions
- In a large cast iron skillet, fill with oil a couple inches high. Preheat the frying oil on medium heat for about 10 minutes.
- While the frying oil is preheating, in a separate pan add the olive oil and lightly cook the shrimp, minced garlic, and salt on medium heat. Once the shrimp turns pink it’s done (3-5 minutes). Remove from heat, and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, green onions, and sesame oil. Mix until smooth and creamy.
- Add in the shrimp to the cream cheese, and lightly mix another few seconds.
- Lay a wonton wrapper on a flat surface. Place half a tablespoon of the cream cheese filling in the middle of the wrapper and fold the corners together making a triangle. Bring the other two corners together forming a “flower”.
- Repeat the process until all wrappers are filled and folded.
- Fry the rangoons in the preheated oil for 2-5 minutes or until the wonton wrapper is lightly golden brown.
- Serve with teriyaki sauce, bang bang sauce, or sweet chili sauce.
Despite how awesome I might appear online, mistakes happen. If you happen to spot one on this recipe, save your fellow cooks a disaster and let me know by using the contact form.
