You see…I had plans, plans to make Vietnamese egg rolls with my Mom on Christmas Eve but then we changed our holiday plans and we ended up driving over to Orlando to see family & have dim sum on Christmas morning instead of having Christmas Eve dinner at our house. Anyways, long story short…no Vietnamese egg rolls!

I still wanted egg rolls and we were invited to a small block party with neighbors. The cul-de-sac next to our street…every year on Christmas Eve they light luminaries and have a pot luck. We get invited every year but since we host Christmas Eve for my family, we have never been able to attend but since plans changed, we decided to attend and I made Chinese egg rolls. Jaden’s egg rolls…she made them for me, Jessica and Bev last month.

By the way, the egg rolls were a hit at the block party! The party was so fun and we’re so lucky to have such great, fun neighbors. We even fed a few of our city’s police officers. One of my neighbors’…their daughter-in-law is a police officer and was off-duty. She told her co-workers to come on over and have some food with us. You wouldn’t believe, not even after 2 minutes sitting down with us and after making their plate…they got called out on a call. One of the officers ran back and grabbed an egg roll for the road.

I can’t say enough how thankful I am to have such wonderful friends. Last month, Jaden invited us to her house for a girls’ weekend. There we are with Coco, her sweet dog! Don’t tell my dog, Charley, but I love staying with friends who have dogs…they become my fill-in petting and playing when I have to be away from my doggie.

We made egg rolls, remember? When I was rolling egg rolls by my lonesome self, I texted Jessica (above) and told her how much quicker it was when we made rolled them all together at Jaden’s. PS Love Jessica, she’s so awesome, a friend and tons of baking talent!!

Jaden’s hands move quick…she was showing us how to roll them up. For the best tips on how to roll egg rolls and mishaps you want to avoid, check out Steamy Kitchen.

Have a bowl of cornstarch and water, dip your finger in and dab the closing edge of the egg roll. Be sure to the cover the egg roll/spring roll wraps that you’re not using while you’re preparing the egg rolls, you don’t want the wraps to dry out and become brittle.

Aren’t Jaden & Scott’s boys cute? They are so cute and such helpful, sweet kids! Love them! Love Bev too, she is so hilarious and fun!

Dinner is ready and we wheeled our dinner out to…

a nice fire. We have been wanting to buy a fire pit for our backyard forever. Going to Jaden’s and sitting by this nice fire during dinner makes me want one even more!

The next morning Jaden watered her beautiful garden and we held chickens. I handed my iPhone to Andrew, Jaden’s son, and asked him to take a picture. This is the only picture he snapped before Jessica’s chicken ran off! I just love that he caught this moment.

Then, we went over to Jaden’s lake (it’s huge!) and fed the fish. And then Coco the attack dog proceeded to attack Jessica with wet, slobbery kisses.

I love Coco! Spending a little time with her reminds me of how much I miss having a girl dog. We lost our Cinder over three years ago and still miss her terribly. I’ve been thinking and we keep discussing it, I think 2012 is the year we’re going to adopt a little girl dog! Charley needs a buddy again. Of course no dog will ever replace her!

What a fun weekend we had! Thanks to Jaden for having us. We had so much fun!! Can we do it again?

Carrots all shredded up and the cabbage too. I really need a mandoline or a shredder tool for the carrots, I know it would make my life much easier.

I used dried black mushrooms that you can buy at the Asian grocery store, the bag is usually labeled black fungus. Soak them for them overnight or for at least 4 hours and then then slice them thinly. You can also use fresh shitake mushrooms.

The perfect amount of meat for the filling!

Jaden says that a very wet filling will make for soggy egg rolls so be sure to blot the mixture with paper towels and to drain the oil and juices by tilting the baking pan to one end and allowing it to drain or blotting with a paper towel once again.

Now for the fun part, you need to wait (you don’t want to burn your mouth) but you don’t have to wait that long. Allow them to cool a little. They’re sitting atop a (baking) cooling rack set on top of a baking sheet that has a paper towel in it.

They are light and crispy and not at all greasy tasting. I love the ginger flavor and it has the right amount of filling…3 bites and it’s gone! I ate the one above as soon as I was done photographing it.

Jaden's Chinese Egg Rolls

Yield: 50 egg rolls

Prep Time: 60 min

Cook Time: 20 min

Total Time: 1 hr 20 min

These egg rolls are incredibly easy to make and even faster to roll up if you have family or friends to help you.

Ingredients:

For the Meat
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced small
3/4 lb peeled & deveined shrimp, diced small
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp sugar
fresh ground black pepper

For the Vegetables
1/2 head of cabbage
3 carrots, shredded
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
2-3 tsp grated fresh ginger
10 fresh shiitake mushrooms (or dried black mushrooms soaked overnight), stems discarded, sliced into thin strips
1 Tbsp Chinese rice wine
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sesame oil
Fresh ground black pepper

50 Spring/Egg Roll Wrappers (2 packages), defrost them in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours
1 Tbsp cornstarch (or flour) mixed with ¼ cup of cool water
1 Tbsp vegetable oil plus more for frying

Directions:

Combine the ingredients under the 'for the meat' heading (chicken, shrimp, soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar and ground pepper) in a medium sized bowl and allow to sit at room temperature to marinate for at least 10 minutes.

In another bowl or large measuring cup, mix together the rice wine, soy sauce, sugar, salt, sesame oil and pepper and set aside.

Add 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil in a wok or large, deep saute pan and turn heat to the high setting. Heat pan until the oil coats the pan easily when turning and rotating it. Add the chicken & shrimp mixture and cook for 4-5 minutes.

Turn heat down to low or medium low. Move the chicken and shrimp mixture to one side of the pan. Add the vegetables (carrots & cabbage), garlic, ginger and mushrooms and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until the vegetables are softened. Add the rice wine-sesame oil mixture. Continue cooking the vegetables for 1 to minute and then mix the vegetables with the chicken and shrimp.

Remove the filling from the wok or pan, scoop with a large slotted spoon (don't pour) onto a baking sheet. Spread the filling out and allow the mixture to cool. Using paper towels, blot it to remove the juice from the cooked filling. Tilt one end of baking sheet to allow the oil and juices to drain to one end of the baking sheet. Blot with a paper towel or drain the juices. Allow the filling mixture to sit and cool for at least 15 minutes.

Fill each egg roll with one heaping Tbsp of filling (making sure to grab an even amount of meat as well as veggies). Roll egg rolls carefully and seal by dipping and blotting with the water and cornstarch mixture. For full instructions on how to roll egg rolls, see Jaden's post: http://steamykitchen.com/13029-my-mothers-famous-chinese-egg-rolls-2.html.

Clean wok or pan and fill with at least 2 inches of vegetable oil. Heat pan on high for at least 5 minutes until it reaches 350 degrees. Carefully add 6-8 egg rolls and fry for 3-4 minutes or golden brown. Allow egg rolls to cool slightly on a rack set up on another baking sheet.

Cook's Notes:
These egg rolls freeze great (freeze them after rolling them & before frying them). I put them in a plastic zippered bag separating the layers with parchment paper. No need to defrost them, add them to the heated oil (very carefully) and fry them a couple of minutes longer than usual.

Chinese rice wine has been so hard for me to find. I finally found it at my local Asian grocery store and was able to purchase a huge bottle for less than $2!

It's mine and Jaden's advice to buy the paper thin egg roll/spring roll wrappers at your local Asian grocery store in the freezer section. Don't buy the refrigerated brands that you can in your produce section near the tofu. They will not taste the same nor will they come out the same. The recommended egg roll wrappers are the same wrappers my Mom uses when she makes Vietnamese egg rolls.

Try Jaden's original recipe with ground pork!

Modified from Steamy Kitchen's Mother's Famous Chinese Egg Rolls.

Don’t tell Meemaw (my Mom) how much Charley loved the egg rolls. He was begging for them after I photographed them and every time I fired up the wok to fry some up. I seriously need to make more of these…this weekend.

Not shown above but my dog was getting unruly and barking at us to give him the egg rolls. He only got a bite or two…he can’t get too many table scraps because of a health condition but we don’t let him go completely without!

Now I need to call my Mom and reschedule our egg roll making session!

Jaden’s Chinese Egg Rolls © 2009-2011 the little kitchen. All rights reserved.

A while back, I don’t even remember how long ago, my husband asked me to make stir-fry. I have tried many different stir fry recipes and we loved this one adapted from America’s Test Kitchen. But it takes too long. I like short cuts, I really do. I have a rice cooker because I would burn rice if I cooked it on the stove. I take all kinds of short cuts to get dinner on the table and despite that, sometimes dinner arrives on the table at 9pm (or gasp! even later).

Besides not being able to get dinner on the table until 9pm, I have another confession to make, I don’t eat rice dishes with chopsticks. I can’t and I won’t. There I said it. I only use chopsticks for noodle bowls and sushi.

This stir fry recipe is very easy and is an adaptation of an adaptation. Try saying that 5 times without twisting your tongue. I use a store bought stir fry sauce and I usually make this recipe with sirloin beef filet. It works well with both chicken or beef, actually.

The last time I made this, there were no leftovers. I held a grudge for about a week because he (my husband) ate it all! I was looking forward to having leftovers for lunch one day at work. I love leftovers, don’t you?

Another one of my short cuts is I buy a bag of already cut up stir fry vegetables in the produce department at my grocery store. I buy the blend that has broccoli, snow peas, carrots and red cabbage. I separate the broccoli out and I actually cut them down so they are uniform in size.

You can use whatever variety of vegetables you want. I add to that one medium onion rough chopped. Sometimes I add Napa cabbage. I use fresh minced ginger and garlic. Add that to 1 Tbsp of oil and set aside.

I cut up the chicken in almost bite size pieces so I don’t need a knife for this meal. If you’re using beef, use about a pound and slice it thinly as possible against the grain.

Season the chicken and cook on medium heat with 1 Tbsp of oil. I add 1 Tbsp of the stir fry sauce to the pan right after I add the chicken. Remove the chicken after cooking for 5-7 minutes (8-10 minutes if you’re cooking beef).

After removing the chicken, add 1/2 cup of water to the pan and add the broccoli. Cover and steam for about 1-2 minutes. You don’t want to overcook the broccoli. Remove the broccoli and add to the plate or bowl with the chicken.

This is the part that makes the house smell so fragrant. After adding the other stir fry vegetables to the pan with 1 Tbsp of oil and letting it cook for 2-3 minutes. Move the vegetables to the outer edges of the pan and add the ginger-garlic-oil mixture to the middle of the pan. Cook for about 90 seconds, smashing it down with a wooden spoon.

Mix the ginger and garlic with the rest of the veggies and add the chicken and broccoli back to the pan. Add 4 Tbsp of the stir fry sauce. Mix together thoroughly and cook on low until chicken and broccoli are reheated.

Serve with Jasmine rice. I buy the huge bag of rice at my local warehouse club, it lasts us forever. Forgot to mention, the first thing I do is set my rice to cook in the rice cooker before I start anything.

(Easy) Ginger-Garlic Chicken Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

3-4 cups Jasmine rice, prepared in a rice cooker
2 garlic cloves, minced, about 1 1/2 Tbsp
2 small sections of fresh ginger, minced, about 2 Tbsp
12 oz. bag of fresh stir fry vegetables (broccoli, snow peas, carrots, cabbage)
1 medium onion, rough chopped
1 - 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast (or 1 pound sirloin beef, filet)
5 Tbsp stir fry sauce
3 Tbsp vegetable oil

Directions:

Prepare rice and start cooking in the rice cooker or on the stove.

Add garlic and ginger to a small bowl with 1 Tbsp of oil and set aside.

Separate out broccoli from the rest of the vegetables, if you using different combination of vegetables, be sure to separate harder vegetables that will need to be steamed, such as sliced or baby carrots.

Heat 1 Tbsp of oil on medium for 3-4 minutes in 9 or 10 inch skillet (I use my enameled cast iron braiser) or a wok. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to the skillet. Add 1 Tbsp of stir fry sauce and mix in. Cook on medium for 5-7 minutes (for beef 8-10 minutes). Remove chicken and add to a plate, set aside.

Add 1/2 cup of water to the skillet and add the broccoli and any other harder vegetables. Cover and steam for 1-2 minutes. Remove and add to plate with chicken. Remove any excess water and wipe skillet with a paper towel.

Add 1 Tbsp of oil and the remaining vegetables. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until onions are translucent. Move all vegetables to the outer edges of the skillet, creating a circle. Add ginger-garlic-oil mixture. Cook for 90 seconds while smashing down with the side of a wooden spoon. Mix ginger & garlic thoroughly in with the rest of the vegetables.

Add the chicken and broccoli back into the skillet. Add 4 Tbsp of stir fry sauce. Lower the heat level to low. Mix sauce thoroughly in with vegetables and chicken. Cook until chicken and broccoli are heated through, about 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with Jasmine rice.

Dinner on the table in 30-40 minutes. That’s the way I like it. Do you have a favorite stir fry recipe? I would love to hear about it.

(Easy) Ginger-Garlic Chicken Stir-Fry © 2009-2011 the little kitchen. All rights reserved.

To say my husband loved this recipe is an understatement. This recipe will definitely become a regular in our house. He was really excited for me to make it and even came up with the idea to add rice noodles to it. If you want to make this recipe as more of a meal, add the rice noodles. If you’d like it to be more an appetizer, I would leave out the rice noodles.

We used both kinds of lettuce because we wanted to see which one would be the best…the answer is, we like them both!

Chicken Lettuce Wraps Recipe

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp walnut oil
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar - I can never find this so I used rice vinegar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp honey
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1 cup shredded carrots
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1 to 2 green onions, slice at an angle thinly
salt & pepper to taste
12 leaves Boston Bibb or butter lettuce

Directions:

1. Separate lettuce leaves, rinse and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Add 2 tsp walnut oil to a non-stick skillet on medium heat. Cook the thoroughly which can take from 7 to 10 minutes.
3. Whisk remaining walnut oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey and sesame oil together until thoroughly combined.
4. Add to the sauce the chicken, carrots and almonds. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve on top of lettuce leaves and garnish with sliced green onions.

Adapted from the National Honey Board

Disclosure: I was provided with a honey gift pack from the National Honey Board. I was not compensated for this post nor was I asked to post about this recipe. The opinions are my own.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps © 2009-2011 the little kitchen. All rights reserved.

Besides pho (Vietnamese beef noodle soup), this dish must just be one my favorite Vietnamese dishes. I have many memories of crowded dinner tables…the table full of condiments and a butane powered camping stove. My Mom would stir-fry the beef right there and everyone around the table passed around ingredients. We rolled up our viet fajitas up and ate them as we rolled them at the table. BTW, my Mom even calls them Viet Fajitas now.

What made it even more like fajitas, my husband added his own twist to it suggesting we add peppers and onions to the stir fry. He really likes the taste of the peppers and onions but I remain true to eating them without them. We often will stir fry shrimp as well. I have to be honest, I do not usually measure when making this dish but I did the last time I made this dish as a guide for you. It’s super yummy and I hope you try them sometime!

I like to use really thin rice noodles. This brand of rice paper is my favorite! They can be found at your local Asian or Vietnamese grocery store.

Be sure to cook the beef in batches to ensure even cooking.

This is how I roll these up. First thoroughly wet the rice paper and let it dry/become malleable on a plate. Add your lettuce.

Next add the rice noodles.

Add beef, green pepper, onions, a little bit of cilantro and jalapenos. Be careful not to overfill!

Fold over the sides.

Tuck in bottom of rice paper and begin rolling.

That's it!

Viet Fajitas

Ingredients:

Approx 2 lbs of beef (just like my Mom, I like London Broil), sliced thinly across the grain, cut into 1" x 2-3" pieces
1 1/2 tsp chopped lemongrass
3 garlic cloves, chopped
4 Tbsp oyster sauce (I prefer Lee Kum Kee brand)
2 Tbsp sesame oil
1/2 - 1 Tbsp unsalted butter for each batch of cooking
1 medium onion (cut in half and thinly sliced)
1 green bell pepper (cut into thin strips)
1 package of rice paper
1 package of rice noodles
lettuce, cilantro, sliced jalapenos (optional)

Directions:

1. Slice beef and marinate in lemongrass, garlic, oyster sauce and sesame oil. Sometimes I will marinate for an hour and when I'm pinched for time, only 15 minutes.
2. Boil rice noodles. Drain in colander and rinse in cold water. Allow to sit in colander and dry.
3. Heat 9 inch frying pan at medium-high heat with 1/2 to 1 Tbsp of butter. Cook beef (& shrimp) along with a little bit of peppers and onions in batches.
4. Arrange on wetted rice paper with lettuce, rice noodles and your choice of cooked peppers, onions, cilantro and jalapenos. Roll up and enjoy!

Tips:

• Be sure to not overfill the skillet, cook the beef in batches. If you overfill, the meat will not brown quickly and you will have overcooked your beef and make it tougher.
• Always, watch the noodles very carefully, they cook very fast in some cases in just 3 minutes! Drain in a colander and drain. You definitely want to drain and rinse with cold water because you do not want them to stick together. Allow them to cool and I like to warm them up in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds before adding them to the rice paper.
• If you want to do shrimp as well, marinate in a separate container from the beef. I often stir fry it along with the beef unless someone does not eat beef or is allergic to shellfish.

This was my contribution to Delicious Vietnam. Delicious Vietnam is a monthly blogging event celebrating Vietnamese cuisine created by Anh of A Food Lovers Journey and Ravenous Couple! Love what both of these bloggers created and hope you enjoyed this post! Visit Ravenous Couple to see the other posts from this month’s Delicious Vietnam.

Viet Fajitas © 2009-2011 the little kitchen. All rights reserved.

I debated on whether I should post the original recipe and notate where I changed it but then I think it looks too confusing so I’m posting my modified version. My additions or changes are in italics. I’m also including the link to the original recipe.

Stir-Fried Beef with Ginger-Oyster Sauce

Ingredients:

Glaze
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth

Sauce
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
3 Tbsp oyster sauce (I use Lee Kum Kee Panda brand)
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 Tbsp cornstarch

Vegetables
2 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1tsp ground ginger, from a jar
1/2 - 1 Tbsp + 3 tsp vegetable oil
1 pound sirloin filet, patted dry and slicely thinly across the grain OR 1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into strips or bite-sized pieces
1 bag of pre-cut stir-fry veggies from the product dept. (separate out longer cooking vegetables from quicker cooking ones)

Directions:

1. Whisk glaze ingredients in small bowl; whisk sauce ingredients in separate small bowl. In third small bowl, mix garlic and ginger with 1 teaspoon vegetable oil. Set bowls aside.
2. Heat 1/2 Tbsp of oil in skillet over med to med-high heat. Add beef or chicken to skillet and heat for about 8-12 minutes until browned. You will need to drain the water from the skillet otherwise your beef or chicken will boil or steam and you will not get browned meat. (You might have to drain a couple of times.)
3. Heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until beginning to smoke. Add broccoli and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup broth and cover skillet; cook until broccoli are just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Uncover and cook until liquid evaporates, about 30 seconds. Transfer broccoli to plate with meat.
4. Heat remaining teaspoon vegetable oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until beginning to smoke. Add remaining stir fry veggies from bag and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown and soften, 1 to 2 minutes. Add leafy greens (if you want, see chart below) and cook, stirring frequently, until wilted, about 1 minute. Push vegetables to sides of skillet to clear center; add garlic-ginger mixture to clearing and cook, mashing mixture with spoon or spatula, until fragrant, 15 to 20 seconds, then stir mixture into greens.
5. Return all vegetables to skillet along with sauce. Toss to combine and cook, stirring, until sauce is thickened and vegetables are coated, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to serving platter and serve immediately.

These notes below are from the original recipe from America's Test Kitchen:
Longer-cooking vegetables (to yield 2 cups)
4 small carrots, peeled, sliced on bias 1/4 inch thick
1/2 pound broccoli, stalks discarded, florets cut into 1 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 pound cauliflower, core removed, florets cut into 1 1/4-inch pieces
1 pound medium asparagus, bottoms trimmed, cut on bias into 1 1/2-inch lengths
1/2 pound green beans, ends trimmed, cut on bias into 1 1/2-inch lengths

Quicker-cooking vegetables (to yield 1 cup)
1 medium bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 ounces snow peas, strings and tough ends trimmed
3 medium ribs celery, ends trimmed, cut on bias 1/2 inch thick
1 small zucchini or summer squash, seeded, quartered lengthwise, and cut on bias 1/4 inch thick

Leafy Greens (to yield 2 cups stems and 4 cups greens)
1 small bok choy or napa cabbage (about 1 pound), stems/cores and greens separated, stems/cores cut into 1/4-inch strips, greens into 3/4-inch-thick strips

Tips:

• You can certainly do this vegetarian with the portobello mushrooms and vegetable broth, I wish I could...my husband does not like mushrooms.
• This recipe is so versatile and you can do any combination of meat and/or mushrooms along with veggies.
• I take the time to separate out the broccoli from the stir fry vegetable bag. The broccoli is often too big and I'll cut it even further and then use it accordingly in Step 3.

Adapted from America's Test Kitchen's Stir-Fried Portobellos with Ginger-Oyster Sauce from their Asian Take-Out at Home episode, also published in Cook's Illustrated, May 2006

Beef Stir-Fry with Ginger-Oyster Sauce © 2009-2011 the little kitchen. All rights reserved.

Put about a teaspoon or so of the filling in the middle of the wonton wrapper.

Fold in half into a triangle (not a rectangle).

This is how it looks after it’s wrapped.

I think this is about 60.

Yummy! I have already promised my family I will be making these for Christmas Eve when they all come over this year.

Crab Rangoon - Lobster Style

Yield: 50-60

Ingredients:

1 package of square wonton wrappers
1 - 8oz. package of Icicle brand imitation lobster (or you can use imitation crab)
2 - 8oz. packages of Philadelphia cream cheese (allow it to sit out for 30-60 minutes so it's easier to mix)
4-6 green onions sliced thin (do not use the most of the white end of the onion, this ingredient optional)
salt and pepper to taste (I used 1 teaspoon salt & 1/2 teaspoon pepper)
vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

First, rinse imitation lobster and then tear/break it up using your hands into a mixing bowl.

Mix in green onions, salt & pepper.

Add in cream cheese and mix well.

Take each wonton wrapper and put about a teaspoon or a little more than a teaspoon of the mixture in the middle of the wonton skin.

Fold in half (if using a square shape, after folding in half, shape should be a triangle, not a rectangle).

Put your fingers on the area of the wonton right above the mixture, and crimp together, should look like a pouch. (Does not need to be completely sealed but you don’t want too much oil to get into the cream cheese and you don’t want the cream cheese to come out of the wonton wrapper while frying. If you’re unsure, try doing a couple and frying them up before wrapping the rest of them to get a feel for it.) Also, I sometimes describe it as looking like a ghost when you flip upside down, the area with the filling is the ghost's head.

Repeat steps 2-4 until all mixture is gone or wontons are gone.

Heat oil (about a 1 1/2 inch layer) in pan on medium to medium high heat. Oil needs to be pretty hot.

In batches, fry rangoons in pan until lightly browned on each side about 2-4 minutes.

Cool on a plate lined with paper towels. Line up upside down so that any oil that has collected inside drains out. Allow to cool for 5-8 minutes. Serve immediately.

Cook's Notes:
Buy the wonton wrappers preferably from an Asian grocery store, I use Twin Marquis brand - Hong Kong style, I have used the ones from the local supermarket and I didn't like them as much as they are much thicker than the Hong Kong style ones.

A couple of hours before starting, take your cream cheese out and let sit on your kitchen counter. If it's not completely cold, it's easier to mix and make your filling.

For some reason, when opening the wrappers (after being defrosted), I usually have to throw out the first couple of wrappers. They usually crack or break up when trying to prepare it with the filling mixture.

Keep your wonton wrappers covered so they don't dry out. I use a damp paper towel to cover the wrappers. As you are wrapping the rangoons, be sure to keep them covered as well.

I buy several packages of wonton wrappers & freeze them because my favorite Asian grocery stores are over an hour away. They freeze really well in their packaging and usually defrost fairly quickly (about 2 hours or less) in the fridge.

You can freeze your extra crab rangoons (unfried) by first freezing them (separated) for a couple of hours on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Then place them into a zippered plastic bag and place back into the freezer.

Before frying, be sure to defrost in the fridge. I have done this before, they taste pretty much the same but the consistency of the cream cheese is different and I think less appealing than when they are made fresh and fried without freezing.

Crab Rangoon – Lobster Style © 2009-2011 the little kitchen. All rights reserved.