Crab-Filled Soup Dumplings 加蟹小笼包
Crab-Filled Soup Dumplings is featured among the local specialties of Jiangsu.
Crab-Filled Soup Dumplings (加蟹小笼包) are Changzhou's (常州) crab version of the small steamed soup dumpling, first made at the Wanhua Teahouse (万华茶楼) by the Xiaoheyan (小河沿) floating bridge during the Daoguang reign of the Qing dynasty.
Flavour and texture
The dumplings are known for a thin, translucent skin, plenty of juice, a strong crab aroma, a rich taste that is not greasy, and a fresh, tender meat filling. They are served with fragrant vinegar and young ginger. They come on the market each year around the Mid-Autumn Festival, when the osmanthus is in flower.
How it is eaten
Changzhou orders the dumplings in three kinds. Suihao (随号) have no crab oil; duixiang (对镶) is a basket of twelve in which six have crab oil and six do not; jiaxie (加蟹) means every dumpling has crab oil. A basket is called a ke (客), so a Changzhou regular's order sounds like 'er ke duixiang' (二客对镶), two baskets of the mixed kind.
Regulars eating in usually order duixiang. In their view, alternating one plain and one crab dumpling lets the crab's flavour come through fully, while eating only crab dumplings dulls the palate until the crab can hardly be tasted. That habit is the origin of the name duixiang.
A Changzhou saying holds that people should wait for the dumplings rather than the dumplings waiting for people. The dumpling is dipped in the vinegar dish, lifted with chopsticks and tilted outward; the diner bites open the skin at one side of the base and carefully sucks out the juice, dips the opened dumpling back in vinegar so the vinegar runs inside, and then eats it whole.
Sources & reading
Written from the linked sources and fact-checked against them on 2026-09-25. Recipes and servings vary between kitchens.
Image credits & notes (1)
- Reference photo of a similar dish · 同类菜品参考照片A similar preparation is pictured; the local version may differ. 同类菜品参考照片，当地做法可能不同。Photo: Peachyeung316 · CC BY-SA 4.0Resized for the web; the photo itself has not been edited. Thumbnails may show a cropped view.
