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Pastry · Baked

Xiekehuang (Crab-Shell Pastry)

Xiekehuang (Crab-Shell Pastry) — street food from Jiangsu, China
📷 Closely related photo — Photo via Pexels/Unsplash — free for commercial use

Despite the name, there's no crab in it at all — baked until its round, golden-brown surface resembles the shell of a steamed crab.

A round, layered puff pastry with a sesame-lard dough is filled with savory options like scallion oil, pork, or shrimp, or sweet fillings like rose paste, then baked.

Why it's made this way: Its name comes purely from appearance — a naming pattern common to Jiangnan-region pastries.

Roughly what's in it

300kcal
9gprotein
32gcarbs
15gfat
Estimated per typical street-vendor portion — not lab-tested.
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More from China

Roujiamo (Braised Pork in Flatbread) Chuan'r (Grilled Meat Skewers) Youtiao (Fried Dough Stick) Tanghulu (Candied Hawthorn Skewers) Malatang (Self-Serve Spicy Broth) Beibingyang (北冰洋) Orange Soda
Part of World of Street Food — 690 dishes from 118 countries. Something wrong here? Tell us in the comments below. Photo credits.