Jingsha Soft-Shelled Turtle 荆沙甲鱼
Jingsha Soft-Shelled Turtle is featured among the local specialties of Hubei.
Jingsha Soft-Shelled Turtle (荆沙甲鱼) is a traditional dish of the Jingzhou (荆州) area. A preparation supplied by Hubei Weidao (湖北味道) at Beijing Hubei Mansion (北京湖北大厦) combines turtle with shredded tofu sheets, green peppers and Jingzhou bean paste.
How it is made
In this recipe, the cleaned turtle is cut into pieces about three centimetres across and blanched. Shredded tofu sheets are blanched separately and placed in the bottom of a casserole.
The turtle pieces are stir-fried until their surface moisture dries, then ginger, garlic and bean paste are added. Stock, cooking wine, sugar, vinegar and green peppers follow. After about thirty minutes over low heat, the sauce is reduced over high heat and the turtle is transferred to the casserole. The resulting sauce is thick and aromatic, with soft yet springy flesh.
How it is eaten
A 2024 Jimu News (极目新闻) visit to Yuanyinjia (元银甲) in Wuhan (武汉) describes a three-stage meal: first the turtle, then tofu sheets and baby cabbage cooked with more stock, and finally rice dressed with the remaining sauce. The soft skirt around the shell was particularly popular with diners there.
Sources & reading
Written from the linked sources and fact-checked against them on 2026-09-27. Recipes and servings vary between kitchens.