Why it works: Onion and garlic match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,058 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓
Crab Rangoon
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the filling
Combine the cream cheese and crab meat.
Mix in the remaining six filling ingredients one at a time.
Fill and seal
Lay out a wonton wrapper on a flat surface so that it forms two triangles.
Wet the edges of the wonton wrapper.
Add one teaspoon of filling to the middle and spread it toward the left and right points of the wrapper to form a log or rectangular shape.
Fold over the edges of the wrapper to make a triangle.
Wet the edges with water and press together to seal.
Keep the completed Crab Rangoon covered with a damp towel or paper towel to keep them from drying out while preparing the remainder.
Fry and serve
Heat a wok and add oil for deep-frying.
When the oil is ready (temperature 360–375 °F), carefully slide in the Crab Rangoon, taking care not to overcrowd the wok.
Deep-fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes, turning once.
Remove with a slotted spoon and drain.
Serve hot with Sweet and Sour Sauce or Chinese Hot Mustard.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 8 of 10 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Cream Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 99 |
| Shrimp | 100g cooked | 99 |
| Crab | 100g cooked | 97 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Soy Sauce | 1 tbsp (15ml) | 9 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Meat | not in our table | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together29,058 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
-
Pepper + clovetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together17,451 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
-
Pepper + garlictop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,090 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Clove + garlictop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together11,368 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
-
Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cream cheese
- Creamy base that gives the filling its smooth, rich texture and body.
- Crab meat
- Provides the main seafood flavor and savory bulk of the filling.
- Won ton wrappers
- Thin dough that crisps and bubbles in hot oil to form the crunchy shell.
The step that matters
Keeping the filled wontons sealed and covered. Moist filling can soak through thin wrappers and cause gaps or leaks, so seal the edges firmly with water and keep finished pieces covered so the wrappers do not dry and crack. Frying at the stated oil temperature helps the shell turn crisp rather than greasy.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cream cheese, crab, onion, sauce, pepper, garlic):
- Capersfits better
- Parsleyfits better
- Cuminfits better
- Clovethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against cream cheese, crab, onion, sauce, pepper, garlic. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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