On Thu, 19 Jan 2006 17:15:40 -0500
"reqluq" > wrote:

> Very informative though I doubt a malaysian in he countryside is gonna
> take so much time to put in the fridge take out and wait half hour to an
> hour etc. There must be an easier/simpler way


Yes, they probably just laminate as best they can and toss it around the
wok in some hot oil.

Are you trying to duplicate an item that you ate on the malaysian
countryside, possibly supplied by someone who doesn't have access to a
pastry chef's favorite tools?

Every cook does the best they can with the resources that are available.
You can get a far superior product if you work with refrigeration as
described by Vox, but you don't *have to do that to get a fried pastry that
is flaky.

There are elements of technique for laminating without the benefit of
refrigeration - for example you can start with a relatively dry dough but
let it hydrate for a half an hour or more before working it, and then
dusting lightly with flour before each fold. But the results aren't as good
as going all-out with an actively cooled stone slab and resting in the
sub-zero between steps.