Box Hill Central offers Moon Festival speciality Black Truffle Long Bao

Dumpling lovers will want to check out these crazy creations — complete with a special ingredient — coming to Box Hill as part of this year’s Moon Festival celebrations. And that’s not the only thing to tempt foodies.

Kitchen Republik is making Black Truffle Xiao Long Bao for the 2019 Moon Festival.

Lovers of Chinese food, get excited.

A huge Chinese celebration, complete with unique food dishes, a street party and dumpling-making classes, is headlining the 2019 Moon Festival in Box Hill.

Box Hill Central is hosting a series of activities and events until October 6 to help Melburnians celebrate the second biggest date on the Chinese calendar.

And a number of the festivities involve food.

Kitchen Republik’s Hsi Wei Lee is making special Black Truffle Xiao Long Bao for the occasion.

A unique type of dumpling is exclusively on offer for the celebration.

Popular restaurant Kitchen Republik, found on the ground floor of the centre, has created Black Truffle Xiao Long Bao for the lunar-appreciation festival.

The unusual dish features a meat filling mixed with truffle paste, contained within a pastry dough, which has been infused with charcoal powder to enhance the truffle flavour.

Kitchen Republik’s chefs say the bao, which costs $7.90 for 4 or $12.90 for 8, is an absolute “must-try”.

An abundance of unique and varying mooncakes — a delicacy traditionally eaten during the Chinese Moon Festival — can also be found across the centre.

Skewers cooking at the 2018 Box Hill Moon Festival. Photo: Nexy Photography

Box Hill Central’s many Asian grocers have all come up with their own variations of the cake, designed to share with family and friends.

Customers will be able to find the traditional mooncake, featuring lotus seed paste and salted egg yolk, as well as mooncakes with red bean paste, matcha, black sesame and taro.

There will also be a range of pop-up food stalls on offer at the Moon Festival street party in Box Hill Mall on Saturday, September 7.

From noon until 8pm the mall will be host to more than 50 market stalls showcasing Asian cuisine and culture.

Last year’s Box Hill Moon Festival. Photo: Nexy Photography

Rainbow Fairy Floss, Flamin Skewers, Tea Royale, Korean BBQ cup Cup n Bap and Mai’s Family Kitchen will be among the stallholders.

The street party will begin with an opening ceremony at noon, followed by an afternoon of lion dancing, traditional and modern Chinese music and dance performances, games and live demonstrations.

MORE: OFF-THE-PLAN BUYERS BLINDSIDED BY BOX HILL KARAOKE PLANS

LATEST MELB SUBURB HIT BY LAWLESS FOOD DELIVERY DRIVERS

CHARCOAL LATTES THE LATEST COFFEE CRAZE

Food-lovers can also take the chance to learn how to make their own doughy balls of goodness at Dumpling Master Classes being hosted by Oriental Merchant on Saturday, September 7 and Sunday, September 8.

The classes will be held from 11am to 4pm each day and everyone is invited to get cooking.

Bookings are not required.

The centre will also host Chinese fable storytelling sessions on Saturday, September 7 and Friday, September 13 from 11am to 3pm.