An unforgettable family feast with delicious Mid-Autumn Festival delicacies

Here are 15 classic homemade dishes that will make your Mid-Autumn Festival celebration unforgettable, complete with cooking tips to help you create these delicious traditions.

1. Stir-fried Cabbage with Mushrooms

A perfect balance to richer dishes, this simple vegetable stir-fry starts with blanching cabbage and mushrooms in boiling water with a spoonful of cooking oil for about two minutes. Stir-fry pork until the fat renders, then add garlic and chili before combining with the vegetables. Season with salt, chicken essence, and a dash of oyster sauce for a quick, healthy side.

2. Golden Money Eggs

Hard-boiled eggs, steamed and then deep-fried until golden, create this aptly named "money egg" dish. After frying, stir-fry with garlic, chili, and garlic sprouts, seasoned with salt, pepper, soy sauce, and oyster sauce. The golden yellow slices indeed resemble gold coins, symbolizing wealth and prosperity.

3. Prosperity冬瓜酿肉 (Winter Melon with Meat)

Thinly sliced winter melon, softened with salt, is wrapped around seasoned minced pork to form beautiful flower-like arrangements. After steaming for about eight minutes, garnish with scallions and hot oil, then drizzle with light soy sauce. This dish represents family unity and flourishing fortune.

4. Tofu with Scrambled Eggs

This comforting dish combines nutrient-rich tofu with eggs for a satisfying texture. Pour beaten eggs over tofu cubes and stir-fry until the egg coats each piece. Add garlic, chili, and seasonings, finishing with garlic leaves for a fragrant, home-style dish that pairs perfectly with rice.

5. Lotus Root with Meat

Soaked lotus root slices, pliable enough to wrap around seasoned pork filling, create these beautiful lotus-shaped parcels. After steaming, garnish with scallions and soy sauce. Lotus root symbolizes togetherness and partnership in Chinese culture, making it particularly meaningful for family gatherings.

6. Blanched Lettuce with Garlic Dressing

Fresh lettuce, blanched to maintain its vibrant color and crispness, is elevated with a savory garlic sauce. The dressing—a combination of garlic, chili, hot oil, soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar—is poured over the arranged lettuce, creating a refreshing counterpoint to richer festival foods.

7. Steamed Tofu with Egg and Minced Meat

This innovative dish features tofu and egg steamed to a silky texture, then topped with savory minced pork. The egg and tofu mixture is steamed for about 13 minutes before being crowned with the stir-fried pork mixture, resulting in a harmonious blend of textures that's both nutritious and comforting.

8. Steamed Eggplant and Beans

A healthier alternative to frying, this dish involves steaming eggplant and beans for about ten minutes before tossing them in a wok with a savory sauce. The stir-fried seasoning of garlic, chili, and a sauce made from soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt, chicken essence, and starch coats the vegetables beautifully.

9. Stir-fried Wood Ear Mushrooms

Properly blanched wood ear mushrooms won't splatter during cooking. Stir-fried with pork, garlic, chili, and seasonings, these mushrooms add a wonderful texture to the meal. Their unique slippery-crisp texture and ability to absorb flavors make them a favorite in Chinese households.

10. Steamed Egg with Tofu and Shrimp

This elegant dish combines eggs, tofu, shrimp, and broccoli in a visually appealing presentation. The egg mixture is poured over tofu and steamed with arranged broccoli and shrimp. The result is a nutritious, visually stunning dish that symbolizes rising abundance—a perfect wish for the family.

11. Sweet and Sour Chinese Yam

Coated in starch and deep-fried until crispy, Chinese yam becomes the perfect vehicle for a classic sweet and sour sauce. The combination of tomato sauce, sugar, and vinegar creates that beloved balance of flavors that children particularly enjoy.

12. Blanched Spinach with Special Sauce

Quick-blanched spinach retains its bright color and nutrients. After cooling and shaping, it's topped with a thickened sauce made from soy sauce, oyster sauce, and seasonings. This simple preparation highlights the natural sweetness of fresh spinach.

13. Stir-fried Dried Tofu with Pork

Sliced dried tofu, blanched with dark soy sauce to remove the bean smell, is stir-fried with pork, chili, and green pepper. The combination of seasonings and the meat's richness makes this dish exceptionally flavorful and satisfying with rice.

14. Stir-fried Chinese Yam with Wood Ear Mushrooms

This light and healthy dish features sliced Chinese yam and wood ear mushrooms blanched before being quickly stir-fried with garlic and peppers. A simple sauce thickened with starch allows the natural flavors and textures to shine through.

15. Garlic Beans with Vermicelli

Perhaps the most valuable dish symbolically, bean sections are blanched and arranged over vermicelli with an egg in the center. Topped with a fragrant garlic sauce and steamed briefly, this dish represents family unity and the sweetness of being together, truly "priceless" in meaning

These fifteen dishes, with their varied flavors, textures, and symbolic meanings, create a complete Mid-Autumn Festival feast that celebrates both culinary tradition and family bonds. Which one will you try first for your celebration? Share your cooking results and festival traditions in the comments!