The Best Way to Enjoy Crab Dumplings

Crab dumplings, or xiefen xiaolongbao (蟹粉小笼包) in Chinese, gather all the flavors of crab and pork into one ball of dough.

Technically, xiefen is a general term encompassing xierou (蟹肉 crab meat), xiehuang (蟹黄 golden roes) and xiegao (蟹膏 fatty sperm).This trio goes well with pork, especially with a certain portion of fat. Along with these, a chunk of head cheese is a key ingredient, dissolving into liquid form and drawing the essence out from the solid fillings.

In preparing such a juicy dumpling, the most challenging step is making the skin. The paper-thin exterior seals and holds the entire watery filling together; in the meantime, it should also seem translucent, exuding an almost sexual appeal. These angels are served fresh and hot. To avoid getting burnt, a classic serving suggestion is to bite a small hole in the skin at the base of the dumpling, then sip the hot soup. The rest – the meatball stuck to the skin – is eaten once the inside has been drained of soup.

Personally, that method isn’t for me. The flavors are so much better when you can enjoy skin, soup and stuffing together. My only tip is to wait until the dumpling cools down a little before eating. And don’t forget to dip it in vinegar with strips of shredded ginger. Remember, it’s called a “xiao”longbao – it should be small enough to take in a single bite. After all, there are times when “the bigger, the better” just doesn’t work.

If you get a change to try this way out, I recommend 5 spots whose crab dumplings are most delicious:

Dim Tai Fung (RMB 39/5 pieces)

This famous Taiwan chain serves probably the thinnest skinned dumplings with the highest crab ratio. The dumplings are small, but you can down it in one bite!

Xiao Nan Guo (RMB 38/6 pieces)

Although higher in pork meat than crab, the dumplings are still full of lovely crab-flavored soup. It is paired with quality vinegar as well.

Haoji Jiujia (RMB 20/6 pieces)

This new restaurant may offer the cheapest dumplings with the most elaborate decoration: each is dotted with orange crab roe and steamed on carrot slices.

Ming Court (RMB 32/4 pieces)

These giant dumplings are hard to eat in one bite. If you love meat though, you'll enjoy these big guys with their juicy stuffing. Only available at lunch.

Yipin Xiaolong (RMB 12/3 pieces)

It's not the best dumplings, with its thick skin, scarce crab taste and mediocre vinegar, but it sure is a cheap place to grab your xiaolongbao fix in Sanlitun.

Enjoy!