Malaysian Pastry

Malaysian pastry is somewhat different from other pastry you find elsewhere in the world. However, the basic methodology to make and bake them are still the same.

There are several types of pastry - short crust pastry, double crust pastry, filo pastry, puff pastry and choux pastry. Pastry involves kneading fat in flour in certain proportions. To make perfect pastry, certain knowledge in techniques and skills are required. It takes a lot of practise to make perfect Malaysian pastry.

The secret of making perfect pastry lies in the coldness of all ingredients and the utensils being used, including your rolling pin, your plastic sheet for rolling and the pastry dough itself.

If you use a food processor to rub in the fat and flour, remember not to over-process, because your pastry will turn out tough and rubbery because the butter will melt. Short bursts are sufficient, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs and only then you add iced cold water to bind the dough.

Pastry normally have fillings - sweet, savoury or spicy. They are either deep fried or baked. If you have managed to make the perfect dough and shaped the pastry beautifully, it is quite a challenge also to deep fry them perfectly. Deep fried pastry should not be full of bubbles on its skin. McDonald's apple pie, therefore, will score very low marks in my book.

Malaysian pastry has evolved tremendously over the last fifty years. Three most popular pastry here are curry puff (karipap), spring roll (popiah) and pineapple tart. All three represent different kinds of pastry.