Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Fab Rangoon

Remember that greasy crab rangoon your parents always ordered from Chinese restaurants when you were a kid? Well, here's an updated vegan version. It's easy and delicious!


Fab Rangoon (makes 16 pieces)

Dough:
1 c all purpose flour
1 tbsp semolina flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tbsp safflower oil
1/2 c lukewarm water (or more as needed to get dough consistency)

-Mix flours, salt, oil, and water to make soft dough.
-Knead dough for about 1 minutes to make smooth and pliable.
-Set dough aside in bowl & cover with damp cloth. Let sit at least 15 minutes. 

Filling:
1/2 c cashews, soaked in water for at least 4 hours
1/4c water (or more/less as needed to get smooth consistency when processing cashews)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutritional yeast
2-3 cloves garlic, minced well
1 green onion, chopped finely
2 tbsp kale, chopped finely (may use spinach instead)
2 tbsp carrots pickled in ume vinegar, chopped finely (may use plain carrots instead)
(to pickle, put carrots in jar, cover with a half water half ume vinegar mixture)

-In a food processor, process cashews with water, adding only a little bit of water at a time, until you have a thick, smooth, creamy paste. Periodically scrape the sides with a spatula/spoon. Add salt and nutritional yeast and pulse once more.
-Place cashew cream in a bowl, add garlic, green onion, kale, and carrots. Mix well. Taste and adjust any seasonings to taste.

Frying:
enough safflower oil to fry in
1 tbsp all purpose flour
2 tbsp water

-Knead doug and divide into 16 pieces. Roll each piece into a 2 inch circle.
-Mix flour with water to make paste.
-Spoon about 1/2 tbsp of cashew cream mixture into middle of dough circle. Place a bit of paste around edges of dough circle. Gather edges of dough and pinch together until you have four edges.
-Heat oil in pan for frying. (Test the oil to see if it's ready by dropping a small piece of dough in. If it sizzles, it's ready)
-Gently place rangoon in hot oil with spoon. Fry until golden brown, approximately 3 to 5 minutes.
-Remove fried rangoons and place on paper towel to drain slightly.