In the tropics, there are rainy and dry seasons . There is also the eagerly anticipated durian season. Among the enthusiasts,durian season is as much anticipated as the Christmas season .
‘Eating a good durian is like tasting a good bottle of claret .’ says an Englishman, Nigel Pendrigh.A durian connoisseur,Nigel has acquired the taste of durain 8 years ago.He described a durian experience as being 3 dimentional –rich in aroma,flavour and nuances.
Not surprisingly it was Nigel and his wife,Fee who brought me to the durian plantation in Balik Pulau in Penang.The plantation boasts of 1000 durian trees which are aged between 60 to 100 years old.We went there in the month of July,right smack at the peak of the durian season.There we tasted a wide varieties of durians ranging from Ooi Kneow,(yellow ginger) to Ang Hae( Red Shrimp);from Peh Bak Eu ( White Pork Lard) to Ling Feng Geow(named after Jackie Chan’s wife).Hor Lor ,D 11 ,D 24 are all being served at this decadent durian feast.These are’ branded’ durians which are prized for their taste ,textures and flavours. Some of these yummy varieties have won much coveted durian competitions .Mrs Lim,wife of the plantation owner,offered us her irrissitable home made durian’ kuih’.We were told that these were made from 30 kg of pure durian pulp and 3 kg of sugar with special mention that no flour was added in her recipe.Oh! that explains the superb aroma oozing from these delightful mouthfuls.
Durian has inspired many to use it in sweet edibles such as Dodol ,ice cream ,pastries and moon cakes amongst others.My favourite durian dessert ,durian pulut( glutinous rice steamed with coconut milk), is a rich deadly combination that had me running many hours on the treadmill.But it’s worth it.
Durian is commonly known to possess a ‘heaty ‘ effect .Many claim that this effect can be countered by drinking water from the durian husk .To rid hands and breath from the odour of durians,pour water into an empty husk; rinse and drink from it.
Love it or hate it,durians will always stick out like no other fruits.
