Asian Appetizers paired with Tozai Sake #WinePW

This was such a fun Wine Pairing Weekend Event.  I had only tried Sake once before many, many years ago and hated it but when Cam of Culinary Adventures with Camilla asked us to share a Sake or Wine Pairing with Chinese food I decided to give it another go.

I decided to pair my sake with an assortment of Asian Appetizers......

I have mentioned in past posts that this past Holiday Season I had many small gatherings instead of several large gatherings due to the pandemic.  This pairing took place at my second Christmas dinner with my brother, Dick and his wife, Jackie. 

We started the evening off enjoying sushi, chicken egg rolls and crab rangoons.  I will be sharing the crab rangoons recipe with you today but you will have to wait until next month for the egg roll recipe.  The sushi was carry out.

We happily toasted our gathering, it had been way too long since we had been together.   Neither Dick nor Jackie had ever tasted Sake and Frank had only that one same experience I spoke of at the beginning of this post.  We were a little nervous for that first sip, expecting it to taste as harsh and turpentiney as our last bottle.  Turpentiney is a word......adjective describing something that tastes like turpentine smells.

The wine poured a cloudy white, like lowfat milk in color.  You could smell flowers and fruit.  We clinked and sipped.  Hey.....this isn't like turpentine at all.....we took another sip.  Dry but smooth and creamy.  Full bodied and silky.

I had purchased this wine at Costco for under $20.  I didn't know anything about it so when I brought it home I did an internet search and learned that the Tozai Snow Maiden is named after the famous Japanese Koi Fish that lived for 226 years in the icy waters from Mt. Ontake.  Tozai is a 5th generation sake brewery that paired with an American sake brewer and artist who lived in Kyoto. Tozai means East/West.

The pairing with the sushi was nice especially if you added a bit of wasabi to it.  My favorite pairing was the egg rolls however the crab rangoons were very nice as well.  

Using store bought wonton wrappers and canned crab these little bites are easy to make.  I don't know how authentic crab rangoons are in China....but they sell them in American Chinese restaurants so there must be something similar in China.  They are tasty and delicious.  They can be made ahead of time and be frozen for up to six months.  

Once they are made they fry up in a few minutes and are ready to serve. I like to serve mine with sweet and sour sauce.  

Please plan on joining us for Twitter chat on Saturday, January 9, at 11 AM ET as we discuss our pairings and thoughts on the Sake and other wines that we paired with Asian food.  You will find us by following #WinePW.  Here is a preview of the topics we will be sharing.......

An Affordable and Aromatic Gewürztraminer Paired with Thai Red Curry by Crushed Grape Chronicles

Asian Appetizers Paired With Tozai Sake by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Cashew Chicken With A Crisp Riesling by Our Good Life

Ground Pork Stir Fry with Collard Greens by Cooking Chat

Knocking off CPK While Sipping SMV Riesling by Exploring the Wine Glass

Japanese Sake and Octopus Salad by Avvinare

Our Osechi Ryori おせち料理 (Japanese New Year’s Food), Other New Year's Eve Traditions, + Recent Saké Explorations by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Rosé with Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup by The Quirky Cork

Steak and Saké Night at the Culinary Cabin by Somm's Table

Sushi and Wine? Totally Fine! Here's a Few to Try in 2021 by Wine Predator

Tio Pepe Fino Sherry and Sushi/Sashimi: A Match Made in Heaven! by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog

Appetizers, Asian, Chinese, Crab, Seafood

Appetizers, Crab, Seafood

Asian

Yield: 6 servings (3 rangoon per serving)

Author: Wendy Klik

Crab Rangoon

Creamy crab dip wrapped in wonton wrappers and fried to a crispy golden brown.

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 3 MinTotal time: 23 Min

Ingredients

• 1 (5 oz.) can premium crab meat, drained and picked through
• 4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced
• dash of garlic powder
• 3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• 18 wonton wrappers
• Peanut or Canola oil for frying

Instructions

1. Combine the crab, cheese, onion, garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl. 
2. Lay out the wonton wrappers and divide the filling placing about 2 teaspoons in the center of each.  Wet the edges of the wonton wrappers with a little bit of water and fold over the filling pressing the edges together to seal creating a triangle.  Wet the three point of the triangle and press together making a little package.
3. Heat 1 " of oil in a large skillet or wok to a temperature of 325*.  When hot fry the rangoon for 2-3 minutes, flipping so both sides get crispy.  Remove to paper towel to drain.  
4. Serve with sweet and sour sauce, if desired.

Calories

175.22

Fat (grams)

9.44

Sat. Fat (grams)

4.11

Carbs (grams)

15.28

Fiber (grams)

0.52

Net carbs

14.76

Sugar (grams)

0.81

Protein (grams)

7.13

Sodium (milligrams)

278.92

Cholesterol (grams)

40.33

Similar Recipes

Chicken Puffs

Crab Puffs

Ginger Shrimp Dumplings

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