Durian. The King of Fruits. Despite the popularity and the many different varieties, there are still some who dare not come close to this intimidating fruit. I guess its an acquired taste. The Durian fruit doesn't need an introduction. You know it has a distinctive smell, has a pointy and hard outer shell and they need at least some effort to be opened before it reveals its golden yellow and puffy looking flesh.
However Durian can be enjoyed in so many other ways apart from just eating it directly from the fruit. Here are the 8 things you can make out of a Durian that you might like.
1. Durian with sticky rice
This is a Thai delicacy. A dessert commonly found especially during high season (usually May & June). It is inexpensive and can be easily found on the road side sold by Thai street vendors. The exotic flavor combinations of durian, sweet rice, sugar & coconut milk will bring out such a flavor burst that is so delicious. The coconut milk will drench the rice and you will get this rather 'soupy' consistency. Since it has rice in it you may feel that one bowl is just nice for you.
2. Durian smoothie
Who says you can't drink durian juice? The durian flesh has just the right condition to be mashed or blended into something thick. Blending it with banana is the best combination so far. It helps thicken it up even more. Durian has this vanilla-almond flavor and it suits well with banana but not acidic varieties like pinapple or oranges according to some. However there is no stopping you from trying! Blend it together with spices such as clove or nutmeg and you are set! Add cacao too for that added healthy dose of good fat. Smoothylicious!
3. Durian crepe
I know. We all had the same difficulty before. It's pronounced like saying the word 'Creep' or 'krip' or 'crypt' but in a French way :D Never mind the French lesson. What's important is that this is one of the best and beautiful way to present a durian in a fashionable and pleasing looking way. Crepes are made by pouring a thin liquid layer onto a hot frying pan of flat circular plate. It is spread over until you get this thin layer of pancake-like base. The durian is usually blended with custard and cooked until thick kept in the fridge to cool and squeezed onto the crepe using a piping bag and are usually shaped into a cube shape. Check out
My Honeymoon Dessert. This outlet do serve this fabulous dessert.
4. Deep fried durian seed
Apparently you can eat the seeds as well! Nothing goes to waste with this little King of fruits. Just like the cempedak or jackfruit the same can be done with the durian seed. We haven't come across any shops that serve this in their menu so looks like you have to do this one yourself. All you need is access to vegetable oil, unsalted light butter, pepper, sugar and salt. Those are the basic ingredients you are allowed to be creative. You first need to boil the durian seed in water, add salt as well. Once soften heat those seeds in a pan without oil until they become dry and slightly roasted. Be sure to constantly turn it. Once it turned dark brown, you can peel the skin off leaving only the white seed. You can slice it thinly and deep fry it until golden brown. A dash of salt & sugar and you are done!
5. Tempoyak
This is not for the faint-hearted. Durian has already has this very strong odor, imagine fermenting it by adding some salt and keeping it at room temperature for three to five days! It is usually not consumed directly. It is usually mixed with sambal or added into cooking like 'Tempoyak Ikan Patin'. Eating with rice is the best way to enjoy this interesting side dish. Tempoyak is popular in Pahang and Perak. It's origins may trace back to Indonesia as tempoyak is also popular in palembang, Sumatera and Kalimantan.
6. Durian Gelato
Back to the sweet stuff. Gelato is an Italian word for ice cream. Derived from the Latin word "gelatus" meaning frozen. Basically this is just a fancy way to explain durian ice cream to you. It is already available as 'durian flavored' ice creams if you had the opportunity to drop by your nearest supermarket and buy those ice cream packets one day. But those aren't made from the pure stuff even if they did the content may be of a small percentage. Try those dessert cafe's like
Hong Kong Dessert or any durian themed dessert cafe. You will get to taste the real durian ice cream experience complete with the aroma and all.
7. Durian cendol
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| Indonesian Version. Photo Credit |
The good ol' regular cendol with a twist. Just top up with durian without the seed and what you get is this unique tasting milky sensation with a huge icy flavor that is best enjoyed during a hot sunny afternoon. It is becoming more available and are sold in dessert stalls, food centers, coffee shops and food courts for both Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.
8. Dodol
We can never leave this one out. Dodol has been synonym with Hari Raya and has been part of the Malaysian food culture for a very long time. Dodol is special as the preparation takes a lot of hours (up to 9 hours) to be exact. You also need a person to constantly stir the dodol in a big wok as pausing in between will cause it to burn thus spoiling the taste and its aroma. A perfectly cooked dodol should be firm and does not stick to ones finger when touched.
Do you have any other durian recipe that you think should have been mentioned here?
About The Writer
KAY KASTUM
Born in Sabah with an interest in open water diving, wall climbing,music and video production and a passion for Android custom ROMS on his XT910 Motorola Razr Kay Kastum plans to make the world a better place by empowering people through his work. Whatever that means. You can follow his YouTube channel to see what he is up to during his free time
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