Tiki week appetizer #2! If crab Rangoon and coconut shrimp had a baby, that baby would be coconut shrimp Rangoon! And then we would eat the baby. Er. Is that a weird thing to say on a food blog?!
Yesterday I mentioned that rumaki is faux-Polynesian—the brainchild of Donn Beach. When he started the tiki restaurant craze, his food menus were mostly Cantonese, with a little south Pacific flair and a mid-century American twist. Trader Vic followed suit, and the tiki pu-pu platter was born. Mid-century tiki bar pu-pu platters typically consisted of Americanized-Cantonese dishes like egg rolls, chicken skewers, and spare ribs. Then there were things with Hawaiian/Tahitian influence, and things with ambiguous “Polynesian” origins…. ie: California, USA. Rumaki is definitely one of those things, and from what I can tell, so is the beloved crab Rangoon: cream cheese and crab inside a wonton wrapper, fried up until crispy, with a sweet and sour dipping sauce.
I decided to combine those tasty little nuggets with another tiki favorite: coconut shrimp! Sweet shrimpies, toasted coconut, and cream cheese… wrapped up like a hug and dipped in sweet/tart dipping sauce made with peach jam and sambal! Also, I baked mine, because #bikiniseason, but feel free to rev up the deep fryer. It's for sure the preferred method, if you’re so inclined. Donn Beach and Trader Vic would be proud of you!
Coconut Shrimp Rangoon
Makes about 30 pieces
1 lb boiled/cooked shrimp (deveined with tails/shells off)
1 8-oz package cream cheese
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 squirt sriracha
2-3 green onions, diced
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted (under broiler for a about 30 seconds to a minute) and 1 tablespoon untoasted
Wonton wrappers
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roughly chop shrimp into smallish bits. Stir (using stand mixer or by hand) cream cheese, soy sauce, onions, and coconut until well combined. Stir in shrimp.
Scoop about a tablespoon of mixture into center of each wonton wrapper, and fold up like an envelope, using a little bit of water or whisked egg to seal. Place on prepared baking sheet, and brush top with olive oil (or spray) and bake for about 30 minutes, until golden and crispy on each side.
If frying, make sure you seal them extra well (maybe even try a different rolling/bundling technique) to get them to stay sealed. Deep fry in vegetable oil for 1-2 minutes, until crispy and golden brown.
Serve with dipping sauce.
Sweet and Sour Peach Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup peach (or apricot) jam
1 teaspoon sambal oelek (chili garlic sauce)
1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon soy sauce
In a small saucepan, whisk together ingredients, and heat over medium-low heat until combined. Serve warm or room temp with Rangoons.
