12 June 2010

Split Green Pea Crab Rangoons with Sticky Ginger-Garlic Dipping Sauce

split pea crab rangoon with sticky ginger-garlic dipping sauce

My sixth and final recipe for the Recipe Rivalry is finally here! It's been quite the experience, and I hope I've given you new and unique ways to cook with lentils and split peas that will please every palate.

Today, I present you with Split Pea Crab Rangoons. You know those awesome crunchy wontons filled with a gooey cheese filling at Chinese buffets? Now you can make them yourself, and a little healthier. The filling consists of neufchatel cream cheese, crab meat, green onions, garlic, and split peas that are cooked until tender and mashed. I went with traditional Chinese flavorings here of oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper.

split pea crab rangoon with sticky ginger-garlic dipping sauce

It took a bit to finally figure out the petal pattern to form the rangoons. I was sort of able to figure it out from the pictures here, though I never got the hang of the one hand forming technique. Also, I decided not to brush all the edges with egg white, but dab just the middle edges where the wrapper connects in the middle to make assembly easier.

split pea crap rangoon mosaic

Here's a picture tutorial of how I formed the rangoons, starting with the upper left picture. Make sure you press the center firmly so the wrapper adheres together. Don't worry if the petals droop because they'll spring back up after being dropped in the oil. It's magical! I seriously had quite a bit of fun frying these edible cuties up.

split pea crab rangoon with sticky ginger-garlic dipping sauce

Out of all the filling, I got 38 rangoons. The amount might differ based on how much filling you use. I used a tablespoon measuring spoon, but I didn't fill it all the way, aiming for about 1/2 a tablespoon to 2 teaspoons of filling. Wonton wrappers usually come 60 to a package, so you'll be set for however much you end up making.

The tray was given a quick chill in the fridge while I made the dipping sauce and heated the oil. The sauce is a super simple sticky sauce based of the sauce my mom has been making for a long time to accompany chicken. Featuring soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and fresh ginger and garlic for flavor, the sauce is boiled until reduced and thickened. The taste is incredible and goes great with the rangoons.

split pea crab rangoon with sticky ginger-garlic dipping sauce
split pea crab rangoon with sticky ginger-garlic dipping sauce
split pea crab rangoon with sticky ginger-garlic dipping sauce

Frying food can be fun! When you first drop the rangoons into the hot oil, there's a bit of sizzling and bubbling going on as the petals "bloom". After 20 seconds, the rangoons begin to rise to the surface somewhat.

I opted to use a wok for the frying so the surface area would be wider and easier to remove the rangoons. Since I couldn't really keep a thermometer in to gauge the temperature of the oil, I kept an eye on the level of browning that occurred within the 50 second cooking time and adjusted the heat accordingly.

split pea crab rangoon with sticky ginger-garlic dipping sauce

The split peas gave the filling a nice flavor without being easy to detect. Their relative neutralness gives the different ingredients a chance to come out, but they still worked together. Biting into a the crunchy outtards to the smooth filling is a treat you simply cannot deny.

split pea crab rangoon with sticky ginger-garlic dipping sauce

Thanks for reading along during the many recipes featuring lentils! Come back tomorrow for a giveaway, and start thinking about which recipe from the six I blogged about is your favorite.

Recipe after the jump.

This recipe was created as part of my involvement with the USA Dried Peas & Lentils Recipe Rivalry. I've been blogging about recipes over the past week and a half, and now I need your help to decide which recipe I should enter into the contest! Tomorrow I'll be hosting a giveaway, courtesy of the USA Dried Pea & Lentil Council, so come back and enter. Voting begins on Thursday, June 17th. Please mark your calenders and spread the word to vote for She Runs, She Eats!

1. Lentils with Jalapeno, Cilantro, and Queso Fresco
2. Lentil Olive Salad with Fresh Mozzarella
3. Lentil Enchiladas with Homemade Ancho Chile Sauce
4. Lentil Sprout Spring Rolls with Shrimp
5. Roasted Garlic and Lentil Bechamel Sauce with Roasted Tomatoes

USA Dry Pea & Lentil Recipe Rivalry





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Split Pea Crab Rangoons with Sticky Ginger-Garlic Dipping Sauce
Recipe by Christina Provo

Makes 30-45 rangoons

Split pea ingredients ~

1/4 cup dried split green peas
1 1/4 cup water

Crab filling ingredients ~

6 oz neufchatel cheese, room temperature
6 oz can crab meat, drained
1/4 cup finely chopped green onion
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1/2-1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 tsp coarse salt
pinch white pepper

For rangoon assembly ~

1 egg white
30-45 wonton wrappers

Dipping sauce ingredients ~

1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
2 garlic cloves, smashed

For frying ~

1 quart vegetable (4 cups)

Directions ~
  1. Rinse split peas and place in a small pot. Add water, and bring to just a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a constant simmer and cover partially with a lid. Cook for 30-35 minutes or until tender. If water hasn't completely evaporated, drain. Smash into a smooth paste. Let cool.

  2. Meanwhile, mix together cream cheese, drained crab meat, green onions, and garlic until blended. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Blend in cooled split pea paste; cover and set aside for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

  3. Have a baking sheet ready nearby to place formed wontons. Onto the center edges on all four sides, dab lightly with egg white (this will help the wrapper stick to itself, sealing in the filling). Dollop 1 1/2-2 teaspoons split pea and crab filling onto center of wrapper. Fold sides to create a blossom, or fold diagonally and press to adhere. Place on baking sheet and cover with a sheet of plastic wrap or a slightly damp cotton towel (this keeps the wrappers from drying out -- you don't want the towel to be wet enough to made the wrappers soggy). Repeat process until filling is used up. Place baking sheet in fridge to chill for 20 minutes.

  4. In a deep pot or a wok, heat oil until it registers 350 degrees.

  5. While wontons are chilling and oil is heating, place vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and garlic in a small pot and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once sauce reaches a boil, lower to medium heat (still maintaining a rolling boil, but mixture shouldn't come close to boiling over) and continue to cook for 15 minutes to reduce sauce. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

  6. Remove baking sheet from fridge. Place a cooling wrack on a different baking sheet and line with paper towels; position near pot of oil.

  7. Once oil registers 350 degrees, carefully drop in 3 rangoons at a time. Fry for 40-50 seconds, or until edges are golden brown and the rangoons lose their raw look. The overall tone will be a light-medium golden brown except for the edges. Remove using a slotted spoon and place on prepared baking sheet. (I placed the rangoons on their sides, held up in a line by another rangoon, to keep the bottoms from getting soggy.) Repeat with remaining rangoons, cooking just 3 at a time. Pay attention to how the rangoons fry, and adjust heat accordingly if they're browning too fast or too slow.

Serve with dipping sauce.

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10 comments

  1. You have SERIOUSLY opened up my mind to all the things you can do with lentils and peas. I'm just amazed.

    These rangoons look delicious, way better than the crab kind. Especially with that dipping sauce!

    ReplyDelete
  2. There is a certain injustice to dishes like this. It takes one or two hours to make and merely 5 minutes to eat.

    carslig

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oooh, what an awesome take on crab rangoons!! I absolutely love the way these sounds and have a feeling after trying them, I'd never want "regular" crab rangoon again!

    Sues

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  4. Yum! You really have done a great job with this challenge. The rangoons are totally creative and look rather professional, if I do say so myself!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Gorgeous inventive and perfectly cooked. What more could you want!

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Those look great. It's going to be tough to pick between the last four you entered. But, I think that the Enchiladas would definitely be trailing the other three.

    If I had to choose, 1st-tie: The Lentil Bechamel Sauce; and Lentil Sprout Spring Rolls. Really unique lentil usage in both, and the dishes have a lot of great supporting cast, ingredient wise.

    A close, but no cigar 3rd would be: Split green Pea Rangoons w/ sticky sauce. These are great too, not to diss this dish (rhyme time!) with the third place, but I think the other two, being more of complete dishes, and this being more of an appetizer, just makes them that much better. But the uniqueness of the dish in general makes it great.

    I think it's an uncontested 4th finish for the Lentil Enchiladas with homemade Ancho Chile Sauce. It's a great dish, but I'd say that the with all the different ingredients used in the others, puts them atop the list.

    Combining unique lentil usage, recipe ingenuity, overall ingredients, I think the Lentil Bechamel Sauce and the Sprouted Spring Roll are the top two contenders out of your six.

    I gottsta give a shout out to your first two recipes though, especially the second posted recipe. *nods head affirmatively* Respect.

    ReplyDelete
  7. OK youngest and I will make a run at this this weekend. I think the sauce will sell it.

    Oh I added you on facebook.

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  8. wow! you've really outdone yourself with this one! you need to do this for a living!!!

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  9. YUM! I'm loving crab rangoons lately!! I recently made a baked crab rangoon to keep it healthier - blogged about it here:
    http://lifeofkaylen.blogspot.com/2011/03/noodles-in-peanut-sauce-with-baked-crab.html

    Super yummy, but without most of the calories!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. سرویس و تعمیرات بخارشوی در منزل

    تعمیر انواع مدل های مختلف بخارشوی

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking the time to comment. Your thoughts are appreciated! ^,^

~Christina

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