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.

HUNAN ONION CAKE

Steps:

• Brush 4 tortillas with sesame oil then some of egg.
• Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons green onions over each tortilla.
• Top each with remaining tortillas.
• Press firmly around edges and cover with plastic wrap or cover with wax paper. Place a plate on top of the cakes for 15 minutes to help seal the edges.
• Let stand until ready to deep fry.
• Heat oil for deep-frying in wok or deep pan to 400°F.
• Using tongs, slip tortilla cakes, one at a time, into hot oil.
• Cook, turning with tongs, to puffy and golden brown on both sides.
• Drain each cake, holding it vertically over pan.
• Drain again on paper towels.
• While hot, cut each cake into 4 to 8 wedges.
• Sprinkle lightly with salt if desired.
• Serve hot.

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.

WELSH ONION CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Grease a 7 inch souffle dish and place a layer of potatoes on the bottom and then a layer of onions, dot with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Repeat the layers, finishing off with potatoes. Brush with butter and bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours.
• Serve hot.

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.

GERMAN ONION CAKE

Steps:

• In medium skillet, saute the onions in butter over low heat until they just begin to brown, about 15 minutes.
• Season with 1/4 tsp of the salt, the marjoram and the pepper.
• Set aside to cool.
• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• In a food processor bowl place flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and the remaining salt; mix.
• Add the shortening and process just until it is the texture of soft crumbs.
• Add the milk and mix quickly to form a soft dough.
• Oil a 10 inch round cake pan and lightly use your fingers to spread the dough out evenly.
• Spread the cooked onion over the top.
• Beat the egg and sour cream together.
• Spoon the mixture over the onion, and spread it out to the very edge of the pan.
• Sprinkle lightly with poppy seeds and paprika.
• Bake for 20 minutes.
• Let cool slightly, then cut into wedges.

GREEN ONION CAKES

Steps:

• Add salt to flour in a mixing bowl and mix throughly.
• Add honey to hot water in a separate cup or dish until the honey melts and mixes with the water.
• Slowly add water/honey mixture into the flour while stirring the flour.
• Knead the mixture until smooth (approximately 5 minutes). If it is too dry add a little extra water. If it is too wet, add a little flour.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• After at least an hour remove mixture and roll into a sausage shape and divide into 10 equal portions. You will work with one cake at a time so cover the others so they don't dry up.
• For each portion of dough, roll into a ball between the palms of your hands, then on a floured surface roll the dough out into a thin round pancake.
• Sprinkle the surface of the dough with green onions.
• Roll the pancake into a sausage shape, trapping all the green onions inside the dough.
• Roll the dough again along the length of the sausage to make a coil shape.
• With the coil still standing up on your counter top flatten it with the palm of your hand (if you flatten it with the coil lying flat on your counter, the onion cake will open up while cooking).
• Roll the dough into a circle about 5 inches in diameter and place to the side while you make the rest of the cakes.
• Heat up the oil in a frying pan or skillet at a medium heat and fry each cake, one side at a time, until it is light brown.
• Cut into quarters and serve with chili garlic dipping sauce.