Time: 20 min.
Complexity: easily
Servings: 10 - 12

This recipe successfully transforms the rangoon appetizer, popular in American-Chinese restaurants, into an incredibly delicious, creamy, cheesy crab dip. When served hot, it pairs perfectly with crispy wonton or tortilla chips, as well as crackers. Since Chinese cuisine and cream cheese are quite distant, it's unlikely that this dish originates from East or Southeast Asia. However, its inimitable flavor is undeniable. You can reduce the amount of mustard if desired.

Ingredients:

• 450 g cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/3 cup milk
• 450 g fresh crab meat in medium or large pieces
• 1 can (230g) whole Chinese water chestnuts, drained and chopped
• 3 tablespoons hot Chinese mustard
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp low-salt soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup sweet and sour sauce
• 1 small head romaine lettuce, finely shredded
• 1 bunch shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 cup chopped cilantro leaves
• Fried wonton sheets, shrimp chips, or rice crackers, for serving

Substituting ingredients
Measuring containers used

1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Recipes with similar ingredients

crab meat, water chestnuts, cream cheese, romaine lettuce, wonton dough

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Preparation:

Step 1
• Beat the cream cheese and milk in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Step 2
• In a medium bowl, combine the crab meat with the water chestnuts, mustard, onion, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Gently stir to combine.
Step 3
• Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Spread the sweet and sour sauce over the top, leaving about an inch of cream cheese mixture around the edges. Top the sauce with the crab mixture. The dip can be prepared before this step and refrigerated, covered, overnight.
Step 4
• Just before serving, sprinkle the crab meat with romaine lettuce, shallots, and cilantro, leaving a 1-inch border. Serve with fried wonton wrappers, shrimp chips, or rice crackers.

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