Peking-style Onion Cake

Note:

1. A kitchen appliance for kneading dough and, if possible, a hand-operated pasta machine save a lot of work here.
2. Put the flour in a mixing or kneading bowl. Bring the water to a boil and dissolve the mushroom broth in it. Add to the flour and knead for 3 minutes, then add the cold water and knead for another 2 minutes. Add the sesame oil and knead until you have an elastic dough. Let ripen for 30 minutes.
3. Cut the bacon into small cubes. Halve the onion lengthways, cap both ends, peel, halve the halves lengthways and cut across into approx. 2 mm thick slices. Fan the slices. Wash the spring onions and cut into thin rolls from above. Wash and peel the carrots, cut off both ends and cut into short silk threads with a julienne slicer.
4. Heat 3 tablespoons of the lard in a pan, add the diced bacon and fry until they smell fragrant, add the pieces of the brown onion and roast until they are translucent. Transfer to a larger bowl. Add the spring onions, the carrot threads and the salt. Mix well and let steep for 10 minutes.
5. Gently squeeze the onion mixture and discard the amniotic fluid. Mix the tapioca flour with the rice wine until homogeneous. Separate the egg, whisk the egg yolk with the pepper and flour mixture until homogeneous and mix with the onions. Whisk the egg white with a pinch of salt and keep it ready with a small brush. Season the onion mixture with salt and pepper and divide into 4 portions.
6. A work board, the blade of the knife, a flat plate, the rollers of the pasta machine or the rolling pin and the hands should be rubbed thinly with sesame oil. Repeat if necessary, especially with the board and rolling pin.
7. Divide the dough into 8 equal-weight pieces and roll out into approx. 10 x 20 cm flat cakes. Brush half of the flatbreads on one side with sesame oil and place on the work board with this side down and distribute one portion of the onion mixture on each. Leave about 1 cm free at the edge. Brush the edge with the egg white and cover the flatbreads with the rest of the flatbreads. Press together well at the edge. Let it slide onto the plate and into the pan.
8. In a large enough pan, fry the flatbreads with plenty of lard on both sides over medium heat until they get light brown spots. Drain the finished flatbreads on kitchen paper, cut in half lengthways and crossways, garnish and serve warm immediately.

Annotation:

1. The Chinese cooks make circular flat cakes approx. 15-20 cm in diameter, fill them, roll and fold them. A ball is then formed from this, which in turn is rolled out on both sides to form a circular flat cake. I’ve tried that too, but it will take years of practice to master this method perfectly.
2. Whether you should definitely drink tea with it, if you don’t have to enjoy the onion cake as street food in freezing winds, may be left open. I preferred a light, cool rosé wine at a pleasant 28 degrees and a light sea breeze….