The Difference Between Crab Rangoon And Wontons (2024)

FAQs

The Difference Between Crab Rangoon And Wontons? ›

Wontons have a crisp wrapper

What is the difference between crab wonton and crab rangoon? Crab rangoon is a type of fried wonton, so they are really very similar. The difference is all in the filling. Traditional wontons are not ever filled with cream cheese (which is one of the main components in crab rangoon recipes).

Wrappers: Wonton wrappers are thinner, are usually square, and may contain egg. Dumpling wrappers are thicker, are usually round, and don't require egg. Filling: Dumplings can be filled or unfilled. Wontons always have a well-seasoned filling.

What's the difference between Wontons and Rangoons? Chinese wontons are usually filled with pork, shrimp, garlic, and other seasoning ingredients. Whereas Rangoons are filled with crab meat with cream cheese.

Crab puffs, aka crab rangoons, are a staple at most casual Chinese restaurants. They are made of crispy wonton wrappers stuffed with juicy crab meat and cream cheese. Although they aren't super authentic, they have become a popular appetizer to tack on alongside chow mein, broccoli beef, and other take-out favorites.

Wontons are a typical Chinese and Cantonese dish, filled with meat and are more often boiled. Rangoons originate from South Asian countries and are deep-fried dumplings and are usually stuffed with crab and cream cheese. #

Crab Rangoon Has A Specific Filling

This mixture creates a luscious, slightly sweet, and tangy flavor profile, resulting in a delightful contrast to its crispy, deep-fried wonton wrapper. In contrast, the filling of wontons is a savory symphony of flavors.

In a nutshell, potstickers and wontons are types of dumplings. Potstickers are steam-fried, while wontons are boiled or deep-fried. When it comes to dough ingredients, potstickers or traditional dumplings generally use wheat flour and water. On the other hand, wontons use flour, egg, and water.

The difference between a dumpling and a wonton is that a dumpling is made of dough that either contains ingredients or has a filling, but a wonton is a traditional Chinese dumpling that typically has stuffings like meat (chicken wonton) or seafood (shrimp wonton), and veggies.

Traditional Chinese wonton wrappers are made from wheat flour, eggs and water, and can be used to wrap around any number of fillings to be cooked in soups or fried.

What is crab rangoon filling made of? ›

Crab rangoons, if you've never had them, originated at Trader Vic's restaurant in San Francisco in the 1950s and are crispy, fried wontons filled with cream cheese, imitation crab, and seasonings.

Compared to a wonton, however, a gyoza tends to have a thicker wrap and a distinct, crescent-style shape. Also, a wonton is more likely to be served in the form of a soup, while gyoza are more frequently enjoyed all by themselves.

The name "Crab Rangoon" is believed to be a nod to the traditional Burmese dish, "ohn-no khauk swe" or "ohn-no kaukswe," which is a soup made with noodles and chicken. "Rangoon" was the former name of Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar (formerly Burma), where the dish is said to have originated.

It consists of cream cheese, sometimes sweetened, plus, usually, very small bits of imitation crab, stuffed into a wonton wrapper and deep-fried, served with a syrupy, neon sweet-and-sour dipping sauce. It is, essentially, deep-fried cheesecake with fake crab in it—as sweet as any dessert, but served as an appetizer.

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 Asian American chef Joe Young working under Victor Bergeron, founder of Trader Vic's.

Crab Rangoon, sometimes called crab puffs, crab rangoon puffs, cheese wontons, or cream cheese rangoons, are filled crisp dumpling appetizers served primarily in American Chinese restaurants.

It consists of cream cheese, sometimes sweetened, plus, usually, very small bits of imitation crab, stuffed into a wonton wrapper and deep-fried, served with a syrupy, neon sweet-and-sour dipping sauce. It is, essentially, deep-fried cheesecake with fake crab in it—as sweet as any dessert, but served as an appetizer.

The traditional Crab Rangoon is made with Chinese wonton wrappers, but I find it's convenient and easy to use soft flour tortillas to hold the filling, if that's what you have on hand. They're delectable either way, but both approaches will give slightly different results.

While actual crab is not the primary focus of crab rangoon, either imitation crab or the real stuff adds necessary flavor. The best shape for crab rangoon is a four-pointed star: It concentrates the filling and maximizes surface area for more crunch.