WHB #116: The Odour that Launched a Thousand Ships

Durian Flesh - "XO" variety

Durian. Hail the King of Fruits.

(Try googling "King of Fruits" if you don't believe me!)

So potent is the odour from durians that they are prohibited in Singapore's full-airconditioned (and super-clean) subway system (called "MRT" - Mass Rapid Transit). This "no durians" rule is made very explicit - have a look at the sign that I saw outside the subway station last week:

How serious are the transport authorities about that? Have a look at the steep fine:


Whoooah!!!!

This is my last post from Singapore and my contribution to this week's Weekend Herb Blogging. WHB, created by Kalyn and now in its third year, is hosted by Rinku of Cooking in Westchester this week. I thought it would be appropriate to talk about this very interesting and infamous fruit.

Durians evokes very strong reactions - loved, revered, feared and loathed all at once. World renowned naturalist, Alfred Russel Wallace had this to say about the durian: "It is like a buttery custard flavoured with almonds, intermingled with wafts of flavour that call to mind cream cheese, onion sauce, brown sherry and other incongruities... It is neither acid, nor sweet, nor juicy, yet one feels the want of none of these qualities, for it is perfect as it is." Others speak just as strongly about this controversial fruit, but to contrary effect.

Love it or hate it, there is no middle ground with durians. Durian-lovers go through great lengths to locate special seasonal varieties. How durian-crazy can we get? Well, we have durian cake, durian mousse, durian paste, durian crepes, durian puffs, durian porridge, durian ice-cream, durian jam... you get the picture.

A Thorny Fruit:
Have a look at a photo of the fruit here. The word Durio was established by Adnanson in 1763, derived from the Malay word duri which means "thorns." Zibethinus was established by scientist Murray in 1774 . He named it such as the fruit's repugnant smell was reminiscent of Zibetto, which is Italian for "civet cat".

The melon-shaped fruit then takes approximately three months to ripen, before falling and splitting on the ground. Durian fruits are distinguished by their olive green colour and coarse rind, which is studded with sharp, formidable spikes. This thick armour protects the durian fruit from being damaged by the impact of falling from considerable heights (that makes a lot of sense). The segments of the fruit reveal several portions of creamy, yellow flesh, each encasing a hard, light brown seed. It is this rich, custard-like flesh that is so eagerly devoured by durian fanatics.

Origins:
The durian is indigenous to Southeast Asia and can be found in many of the region's low-lying forests. Due to the limited land area in Singapore, we now only have a small number of durian trees. Therefore, the durians we get in Singapore mostly are sourced from Malaysia and Thailand. I recall seeing durians in supermarkets in the USA (I think I was in California), perhaps when I was in BC, Canada, and it's definitely seasonally available in Australia.

Varieties:
To date, there are more than 100 durian clones available in the region. The more popular ones found in Singapore are the XO, D24, D145, D158 and the Thai Mon Thong. With their thick, sweet flesh, unique aroma and full flavour, they command the highest prices and are indulged by the more affluent Singaporean customers.

Nutrition:
Durians are an important and nutritious source of food for many wild animals that inhabit the rainforest. Evidence shows that even tigers and elephants are fond of the fruit, valuing it for its high vitamin and mineral content, which includes vitamins A, B, C, and iron.

Consumption:
Arguably, the fruit tastes best when eaten fresh, but there are other ways to enjoy it as I’ve stated above. More traditional ways of using durian flesh includes: bubur (pudding, recipe below), dodol (sweet sticky rice flour snack), tempoyak (adding prawn paste to salted, preserved durian flesh). Another popular method is to preserve the flesh with brown sugar, then boil or fry it, to suit ones taste (lempok). Durian flesh can be frozen for months.

While researching for this post, I also discovered that durian seeds are also edible and are served boiled, baked or fried. Might try that during my next trip.

Source: National Library Board Singapore

Mom's Bubur Durian
- Durian Pudding -

Mom usually makes this durian pudding with a lower grade durian (we eat the good stuff fresh). Cooking durians somehow reduces the potent odour although you can still smell it a mile a way. My 10-year-old half-English nephew refuses to be in the kitchen when I am eating it. But then again his Marmite toast has the same effect on me ;-)

Ingredients:
Durian Flesh
Palm Sugar
Sugar
Pandan leaf
Fresh coconut milk
Water

The quantity of each ingredient is really up to personal preference. Mom uses lots of durian flesh (to minimize the use of sugar) and just a touch of coconut milk. You can use only palm sugar but the pudding may end up too brown in colour. Therefore, Mom uses a combination of palm sugar and white sugar in order to maintain the natural colour of the durian.

Method: Over low-medium heat, cook the durian flesh with some sugar and pandan leaf. When the pandan fragrance is well incorporated into the mixture, add coconut milk and palm sugar. If the pudding is too thick, add some hot water. This pudding can be frozen.

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Selamat Jalan…

This is my last day in Singapore but I will be back again in a year. My foray into the blogging world has definitely added a new element to visit with my family this time. I’ve always been interested in cooking but I’ve always left the cooking of traditional foods to Mom’s. Now that I’ve taken a greater interest in her recipes, I am more excited to practice more traditional recipes from my heritage in Sydney. Two weeks is not enough time to learn from Mom’s wealth of information and experience, but with the two books that she gave me, and a little experimentation depending on the ingredients I can find in Sydney, I am sure that my cooking repertoire will evolve in a refreshing and delicious way in my Sydney kitchen. Of course, no one can ever replace Mom’s cooking.

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