Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Sautee gai lan until bright green and stems are tender.
Heat 1 tbsp of oil over high heat until it almost starts to bubble. Fry the shallot slices in a single layer until golden brown. Remove shallot from pan and dry on paper towel.
Set aside a few slices of red onion for the topping and caramelize the rest in the frying pan with the hot oil over medium-low heat. Once caramelized, transfer to a bowl.
Make sure there's still about 2 tsp of oil in the frying pan; add a bit more if there isn't enough. Sautee the grated ginger, garlic, and five spice powder until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the shredded mushroom, hoisin sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, and salt and cook over medium-high heat until all the mushroom liquid is evaporated and the mixture is reduced, sticky, and caramelized. This will take a bit of time so stir it every now and then.
To make the onion cream, blend about ¼ of the caramelized onion with the soaked nuts, water, five spice powder, and salt until very smooth. You may need to add a splash more water if your blender is not high-powered.
Preheat your oven to 550°F (or as hot as it will go) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Stretch out your pizza dough to a 1-inch thick circle (or thinner if you don't like such bready crusts) and place it on the parchment paper. Trim the paper around the dough so it doesn't burn in the oven.
Top with about 3 generous tablespoons of onion cream, caramelized onion, sauteed gai lan, plenty of hoisin pulled mushroom, and the few slices of raw red onion you set aside earlier.
Bake for 10 to 13 minutes in the centre of the oven, until the crust puffs up and turns golden brown.
Once the pizza is out of the oven, immediately brush the crust with a bit of olive oil.
Garnish with a few dollops of onion cream, sliced green onion, toasted sesame seeds, and fried shallots. Serve warm!
Notes
*Homemade or store-bought will work here. I used King Arthur Flour's recipe (linked in blogpost) **Found at Chinese supermarkets. If using regular gai lan, 2 sprigs will probably suffice. ***Raw cashew nuts also work
Recipe by Radiant Rachels at https://radiantrachels.com/hoisin-pulled-mushroom-pizza/