Hunan Onion Cake Recipes

GREEN ONION CAKES

Steps:

• Use a fork to mix flour and boiling water in a large bowl. Knead dough into a ball. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; let dough rest for 30 to 60 minutes.
• Evenly divide dough into 16 pieces. Roll each piece into a 1/4 inch thick circle. Brush each circle with oil, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon of green onions. Roll up, cigar style; coil each pancake and pinch open ends together to form a disc. Roll each circle flat to about 1/4 inch thickness.
• Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet. Fry cakes until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Add more oil between batches, if necessary.

AMISH ONION CAKE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook onions in 1/2 cup butter over low heat for 10 minutes. Stir in the poppy seeds, salt, paprika and pepper; cook until onions are golden brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat; set aside. , In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and sugars. Cut in 1-1/4 cups butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Melt the remaining butter. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, sour cream and melted butter. Make a well in dry ingredients; stir in egg mixture just until moistened. , Spread into a greased 10-in. cast-iron skillet or springform pan. Spoon onion mixture over the batter. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Serve warm.

ONION CAKE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp; drain bacon and discard pan drippings. In the same skillet, cook onions in butter until tender. Cool. , In a large bowl, combine sour cream, flour and salt; add eggs. Stir in the bacon and onions; set aside. , Separate crescent roll dough into four rectangles. Pat dough onto the bottom and 1 in. up the sides of a greased 9-in. square baking pan, stretching as needed. Pinch edges together to seal. Pour onion mixture over dough. , Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until the topping is set and crust is golden. Cool slightly before cutting into small squares. Serve warm.

HUNAN KUNG PAO

Steps:

• Combine the chicken and shrimp in a mixing bowl along with 4 teaspoons of soy sauce, 4 teaspoons rice wine, and 2 teaspoons sesame oil. Sprinkle with cornstarch, and mix until evenly combined. Set aside to marinate for 25 minutes.
• Heat half of the vegetable oil in a wok over high heat. Stir in the chicken and shrimp, and cook until the chicken has turned white on the outside and is still a bit pink in the center; about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken and wipe the wok clean.
• Heat the remaining vegetable oil over high heat. Stir in the garlic, and cook for a few seconds until the garlic begins to turn brown. Stir in the dried chiles and Szechwan peppercorns; cook and stir a few seconds until the peppers begin to darken. Add the red and green bell peppers, dark soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of rice wine, and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Bring to a boil, stir in the chicken, and cook until the peppers are nearly tender, and the chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 5 minutes more. Stir in the peanuts and green onion until the green onion becomes limp. Stir in a few drops of sesame oil to serve.

WELSH ONION CAKE

Steps:

• Heat about a quarter of the butter in a large pan, set over a medium heat. Sweat the onions with a little salt and the rosemary sprig. Slowly cook on a gentle heat with a lid on for about 20 mins. Remove rosemary and set aside.
• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Peel the potatoes and immediately cut into wafer-thin slices directly into a bowl containing the rest of the warm butter. Season with salt and pepper. The thinner the potatoes, the better the dish will be. Do not wash them once they are sliced, as you want all of the starch to stick the potatoes together.
• Line an ovenproof, non-stick frying pan with a round of baking parchment. Layer potatoes neatly into the dish in a circle, slightly overlapping. The bottom of the pan will become the presentation side. Continue to pile in half of the potatoes, then add the melted onions. On top of the onions continue with the potatoes until all used up. Set the pan over a medium heat and gently begin to colour the bottom of the dish for 5 mins, then transfer to the oven and cook for 45-50 mins until the potatoes are soft.
• Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10 mins. Invert onto a serving plate, then slice into wedges with a very sharp knife.

SCALLION CAKES

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine flour and sugar. Stir in 2/3 cup boiling water, mixing flour and water just until flour absorbs all the water. Gradually stir in enough cold water (1/4 to 1/3 cup) so that a dough is formed and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. The dough should not be sticky.
• Remove dough from the bowl and knead on a lightly dusted board with floured hands 3 to 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic, adding more flour if necessary. Lightly cover with a dampened cloth and allow to rest for 1 hour.
• Redust the surface and hands with flour, and knead again for a few minutes or until smooth. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. As you work, always cover any unused dough with a lightly damp cloth. Using a floured rolling pin, roll each section into a 7-inch round. Lightly brush each round with sesame oil. Evenly sprinkle 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and scallions on each round, and then tightly roll each round into a fat rope. Tightly coil each rope, pinching the end of the rope into the dough to seal. Cover with a lightly damp cloth and allow to rest 15 to 20 minutes. Redust surface with flour, and using a floured rolling pin, roll each coiled bun into 7-inch rounds.
• In a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat until oil is hot but not smoking. Carefully add one scallion round and fry 1 to 2 minutes, until golden. Carefully turn cake over and fry 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until golden brown. As the cake fries, lightly press the center with a metal spatula to make sure center is cooked. Transfer each cake to a plate lined with several thicknesses of paper towels. Continue frying the remaining scallion rounds one at a time. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set oil aside to cool before discarding. Cut cakes into 6 to 8 wedges and serve immediately.