Durian

[theabroma]

On January 24th, the Dallas/Ft. Worth eGulleteers had their first get together, which included, among other highlights, dragon dances and durian sniffing.

We toured Hong Kong Marketplace, a very large, very well stocked pan-Asian market in Dallas. Since it was just past Chinese New Year, we had the extra treat of watching 5 dancing dragons in front of the store.

However, the highlight for many was the discovery that some of the durians in the (heavily) refrigerated bin in which they reposed were cracked! We did receive several strange looks as we all clustered around what looks like a cross between an angry pufferfish and a US-issue land mine. Some strange cult, observing some even stranger ritual? 14 of us, taking turns burying our noses as close to those army tent green spikes as possible. As you may well surmise, the owners of HKMP are very, very nice people!

The conlusion: many said it 'didn't smell that bad!' It was suggested, however, that refrigeration may well have had a role in keeping the legendary, ah, perfume at bay. I can only imagine the aroma when a fresh one is split open on a hot Malaysian afternoon. Yikes.

You will note, however, that no member of our group, including those who felt the durian had fallen short of its rep in the stink department, bought one.

Theabroma

[AzRaeL]

Tee Hee, that is sorta' naughty. Can't for the life of me figure out what pudendum it looks like, but it is deliciously lurid.

ermm a Pudendum is the female genitals

[sml311]

I would love to have durian. I had a Malaysian roomate for a year, and they have such wonderful fruits over there. Does anyone know where to find one in North Carolina? I haven't seen one at a couple of asian groceries in Durham, but I could have just been there at the wrong time.

(I'd pick one up my next trip to Manhattan, but I'm afraid I'd no longer have a couch to sleep on there!)

SML

[Pan]

I wouldn't even think of buying a durian so far from its source. It would be best for you to go to the east coast of Malaysia during durian season and have it there. Just keep in mind if you do get durian in the U.S. that you might want to be cautious about judging the fruit on that basis.

[Chad]

I would love to have durian. I had a Malaysian roomate for a year, and they have such wonderful fruits over there. Does anyone know where to find one in North Carolina? I haven't seen one at a couple of asian groceries in Durham, but I could have just been there at the wrong time.

(I'd pick one up my next trip to Manhattan, but I'm afraid I'd no longer have a couch to sleep on there!)

SML

Pan's advice is dead on . . . .but if you're looking for Durham in the Triangle, you might want to ask on the Southeast board. Varmint & friends won't steer you wrong.

Chad

[wagyuboy]

Durian tastes like the ass garlic that has been sitting in the crisper in your older brother's dorm fridge since freshman year. But for some reason, durian ice cream is really good. I had it like everyday in China, but I can't find the same kind here. I'm sure it's artificially flavored, but it's still quite tasty.

[JennotJenn]

I would love to have durian. I had a Malaysian roomate for a year, and they have such wonderful fruits over there. Does anyone know where to find one in North Carolina? I haven't seen one at a couple of asian groceries in Durham, but I could have just been there at the wrong time.

(I'd pick one up my next trip to Manhattan, but I'm afraid I'd no longer have a couch to sleep on there!)

SML

If you really want to try it in NC, Grand Asia in Cary stocks it on a regular basis. I've always been too afraid of the quality to buy it there (I mean, it looks fine, but...).

[hathor]

I used to spend a lot of time in Hong Kong and I always made it a point to wander around the markets. I finally broke down and bought one and then brought it back to the 5 star hotel where I was staying. Being friendly with the concierge, I proudly opened my sack with the durian and asked him what I should do with it. He backed up against the wall, beyond horrified, as if I'd had a human head in the bag, and yelled, "It smells like shit!". Now if you know Hong Kong and hotel service, these guys are the ultimate professionals, it was really funny to see him as well as the looks on his co-workers faces. I brought it up to the room, but was too intimidated by the concierge to actually eat it,and as it did pretty much smell like shit, I hung the bag on the outside of my door, and hoped someone would make it vanish.

On another trip, my Hong Kongese co-workers insisted that I try some durian. It was...OK. I mean I could swallow it without gagging. They insisted that no one likes it on the first try, but on the second try I would love it. Somehow, I've managed to avoid that second taste test!

[Schneier]

I would love to have durian. I had a Malaysian roomate for a year, and they have such wonderful fruits over there. Does anyone know where to find one in North Carolina? I haven't seen one at a couple of asian groceries in Durham, but I could have just been there at the wrong time.

(I'd pick one up my next trip to Manhattan, but I'm afraid I'd no longer have a couch to sleep on there!)

SML

I've seen it for sale in Asian markets in San Francisco, Toronto, and even here in Minneapolis. Poke around; you might be surprised.

It won't be the freshest durian around, but it will be a durian.

Bruce

[mongo_jones]

curious if those who've tried durians have also tried kathal--the ripe form of the indian jackfruit. how does it compare? my father, like a good east-bengali, loves kathal--the poor man has been deprived of this pleasure for most of his adult life though since the family would threaten to leave the house if a kathal was ever brought into it. strangely the green (unripened) jackfruit, or enchor in bengali, doesn't arouse such passions and tastes and smells different.

here's a related discussion on the india forum

[Rhea_S]

curious if those who've tried durians have also tried kathal--the ripe form of the indian jackfruit. how does it compare?

There's no comparison as far as I'm concerned. I think ripe durian is inedible while ripe jackfruit (langka in Tagalog) is heavenly and I personally don't think it stinks. I also like that it has a bit of crunch rather than the mush of ripe durian. The only things that bother me about jackfruit is the sticky white stuff when you cut it open and how it is sometimes too sugary. Also, fresh is very different from the canned stuff which is almost always too sweet although the Chaokoh brand isn't too bad. I sometimes buy the canned to put in a sweet coconut milk, soupy dessert called ginataang halo-halo (not the same as the shaved ice stuff).The seeds from jackfruit are also tasty although I can't, at the moment, remember how they taste. I used to eat the most whenever my mom would cook some. I think she boiled then roasted them.

[duckduck]

I'm glad I'm not alone. When I'm around certain people and comment on how nasty that one small taste of durian was, I get dirty looks. Here I feel at home and say, "Hey, Tony! Just be proud of me for lugging that huge sucker home, carving it open in my kitchen alone and being brave enough to take a lick no matter how bad it smelled!" I'm proud of myself for trying it. Nasty stuff.

[Gul_Dekar]

I feel durian is best when used in a sweet/savory preparation. Foie Gras pairings are nice. You also need a fat riesling with a light amount of sugar to stand up to its rich complex nature.

I guess having spent most of my life growing up in Malaysia, I don't find durians smelly at all. They smell pretty darned good, in fact, albeit very pungently so. They have a very rich taste, with a very creamy texture (the ripe ones anyway) and some leave a slightly bitter aftertaste. I do prefer Malaysian durians to Thai durians, but I guess it's a matter of personal preference. The wild variety are the best because they have a more complex flavour, and you can probably get them on the way up to a hill resort in Malaysia known as Cameron Highlands from roadside dealers. Though sometimes it's a pain buying wild ones, since if you don't choose the right ones, they could be filled with nasty worms inside...but it's well worth the effort.

And well, most people consider eating durian with alcohol as taboo. It's supposed to make you ill, and it's even been said that some people actually died from consuming durian together with alcohol. I tried looking up websites for scientific fact about this, but a lot of sites didn't offer very convincing explanations. I guess no one really cared to find out the real reason behind this.

[tan319]

I saw some durian essence or extract in an asian store the other day, I was considering making an ice cream or sorbet with it till I came to my senses!

BTW: what is breadfruit like?

Saw that too.

[Pan]

And well, most people consider eating durian with alcohol as taboo. It's supposed to make you ill, and it's even been said that some people actually died from consuming durian together with alcohol.

Yes, because in humoral terms, durian is considered the hottest (or heatiest) fruit, and alcohol, the hottest drink.

Welcome to the site, Gul_Dekar.

Edited March 29, 2004 by Pan (log)

[duckduck]

I was going to give someone a bottle of the durian extract as a gift until I got home and unopened it stunk up my whole apartment. It's much more potent than just a durian fruit laying around in your kitchen. My thought was cookies but you would have to bake it in something you plan to throw away or ask to borrow the oven of someone you really hate!

[QuinaQuen]

And well, most people consider eating durian with alcohol as taboo. It's supposed to make you ill, and it's even been said that some people actually died from consuming durian together with alcohol.

Yes, because in humoral terms, durian is considered the hottest (or heatiest) fruit, and alcohol, the hottest drink.

Welcome to the site, Gul_Dekar.

Not to worry, y'all, the whole hot/cold dichotomy has fallen out of fashion along with the whole four elements thing (ba de ah dancing in September aside).

Smoothies of homemade durian paste, tamarind squeezins, and cheap aguardiente have never done me wrong, though the mood for such difficult concoctions strikes very rarely indeed.

[QuinaQuen]

I saw some durian essence or extract in an asian store the other day, I was considering making an ice cream or sorbet with it till I came to my senses!

BTW: what is breadfruit like?

Saw that too.

Pretty boring, but don't let that stop you. It's just one of them starches.

[Pan]

Not to worry, y'all, the whole hot/cold dichotomy has fallen out of fashion along with the whole four elements thing

Are you talking about places where durian grows when you make this claim?

[Shiewie]

For those who are fans of durian, there's an article in Wednesday's San Francisco Chronicle on it with recipes for Durian Ice Cream and Durian & Coconut Milk Sherbet.

[picaman]

In other durian news, Avocado the Naturist Alt served durian to the contestants and hosts on "Mad, Mad House" on the Sci-Fi Channel.

Avocado the Naturist Alt

A couple of people actually tried it, but no one liked it. Don the Vampire Alt thought it was revolting, but that's probably to be expected.

As Dave Barry says, I am not making this up

If you've never seen this show, it's pretty wacky fun and my sole guilty TV pleasure when not watching PBS

Jamie

[duckduck]

Came across that show for the first time last night. I was amused by Don the Vampire's reaction. Interesting show.

[bleudauvergne]

We were in Paris and I used to make dinner for some friends at our friend Frankie's house, he had a big kitchen and lots of space. While out shopping for the ingredients in a Chinese shop I saw that they had some really great ice cream flavors. I chose lychee flavored ice cream, and served it with fresh lychees that night. It was a huge hit.

The next time I did dinner for the same friends, I looked in the same freezer and saw durian flavor. I had never had durian fruit nor had I seen it or heard of it. So I thought - ho sounds interesting, and there's the fruit! I shall do the same thing. I bought the fruit, whole, this huge spiky thing that tore up the bag as I hauled my ingredients to Frankie's house.

Well, things had gotten a little wild and fun at the dinner party, due to some mixed drinks, and we were all acting silly. I spoke no French, of course and their English was rather spotty but we all communicated very well and had lots of fun by dancing and badly lip synching to all kinds of music from opera to techno, and acting out scenarios.

I remember it very well. This perfect winding bizarre techno tune had come on and it was time to bring out the fruit, which looked like a space alien pod. I ceremoniously brought it to the center of the room, we slowly spun it on it's spikes to display it's alien beauty and we all danced around it. We opened up the ice cream and hacked open the fruit with a cleaver like we were sacraficing a virgin.

The moments following as each of us tasted the fruit, spitting, hacking, the "pwah!!"s and the "wah"s were all in unison, and we ceremoniously threw the fruit and the ice cream out on the balcony and continued with the party. Frankie was mad at us the next day because he had to clean it up.

Edited May 2, 2004 by bleudauvergne (log)

[oscubic]

Sweet green onion taste with a rich creamy foie texture.

[bleudauvergne]

Sweet green onion taste with a rich creamy foie texture.

Don't forget the odor of rancid dirty socks left damp at the bottom of the laundry basket.