Heavenly Durians of the North

This is the time. The durian season is here now. Durian lovers swear by their momma's names that the best durians in Malaysia are from Penang. People have different tastebuds & naturally, different likings over different durian species. However being durian fanatic myself, fully agreed Penang durians are definitely among da best out there, if not da best.

Durian hunting trip to Penang has been made an annual pilgrimage trip for me & my buddies for the past 2 years. Due to massive publicity over its Balik Pulau durians, durians from Penang are naturally pricier compared to other local species when sold at KL. Only the King & the best of em' all, Musang King is pricier.

Penang people are known for their humorous teases on local political figures/actresses etc. The fancy names given to local Penang species explain it all. Here, we have species named after politicians Lim Guan Eng & Koh Tsu Koon, actress Lin Feng Jiao. Besides, there are also catchful names such as Xiao Hong (Little Red), Ang He (Red Prawn), Sim Kua (Heart/Jantung), Sultan, Che Sin (Green Skin) & many others.

Why the name of the persons? This is da best part. Lin Feng Jiao durian species have beautiful features outside but rather bittersweet in taste, reflecting the life of a woman behind the Asia's most popular Chinese actor, Jackie Chan. Being politically sarcastic & funny at the same time, there's Lim Guan Eng durian breed, which has big sized seeds while Koh Tsu Koon durian breeds have small sized seeds. Seed is pronounced as "hoot" in Hokkien, which also carries meaning of gut in English, or rather the laymen term, the "balls" to do stuffs. Those who understand Hokkien always ended up laughing loudly whenever I tell this. Showcasing below the best of my conquests:-

Hong Har (Cantonese) / Ang He (Hokkien) / Udang Merah (Malay) / Red Prawn

 

Khun Poh

 

Che Sin (Hokkien) / Green Skin

Bak Yu (Hokkien) / Pork Oil

 

IOI

Kapri

Sultan

Lin Feng Jiao

Basically, durian season in Penang starts from end of May till August. However, the demand is so great that farmers has started to expand their plantations to have another durian season at end of October till December. Pricing differs according to breeds n demands. Naturally, highly demanded durians such as Musang King can fetch high price till RM 30.00/kg in Penang (still cheaper than the ones in Klang Valley). Others like Red Prawn, Hor Lor fetch price till RM 20.00/kg.

During the season, its being sold all over the island. No way u can miss any corner without sighting anyone selling durians. Best place to go is of course back to the origin, Balik Pulau. I frequent this place called Anjung Indah (a sort of lookout point on the hill of Balik Pulau). Coordinate: 5°21'0"N 100°15'7"E which is more of a one stop centre for u to have a taste of Penang's best known durians. Slightly pricier than other places but plenty of varieties to choose from if ur not keen on travelling all over the places.

Which one is the best of the best in Penang?? My pick is Red Prawn/Ang Heh anytime. It has that distinctive fragrant aroma of pandan when u have the first taste of it. Only Penang's Red Prawn breeds has this aroma, probably due to the soil factor in Balik Pulau, not the ones planted anywhere else. Creamy & big flesh for a seed. Those who dislike bitter-tasted durians will love this one for its sweet taste. Don't be fooled by sellers bringing Red Prawns from other states.

So, pack your bags to have a feast up north during the coming season. Doubters will be converted into lovers. My succession rate of converting non-durian lovers to one are almost 100% after bringing people to Penang for a try....:)

Simply Durian

Durian...u just love it or hate it. I'm a self confessed fanatically crazy durian lover and very sure there are many more people out there who are willing to scream "I'M A DURIAN LOVER!!!". U will be very surprised to know what will people do in order to get the taste of the best ones.

True story: my boss actually went all the way to a Mantin durian farm in early morning to sit and wait...Wait for the durians to fall from the trees and make his picks from there. Mind u, it's BIG business out there for durian sellers. Some best ones can fetch till RM 30.00 per kilogramme. This caused some selfish and unscrupulous people who are selling the low graded ones for over-the-market prices.

Question here is how many of us actually know what type of durians are we eating. Anyone wonder what's market rate for each type. It's important so to avoid being conned. Here's the tips of the durian species available in Malaysia, taken from unknown sources..Do take note these are not list of ALL durians available. The best of em' all is not listed here. Go out there & check it out yourselves....

HOW TO CHOOSE A GOOD DURIAN
A good durian must be ripe, fresh and free from larvae / worms. Do bear in mind, a durian with worms does not mean it's bad, it could be soo delicious that even worms are attracted to it...
1) Look at the tip. If it's too dry, it's no longer fresh. A little dry is fine.
2) Look at the bottom. If it's cracked, it maybe over-ripe or not so fresh. Some sellers will use rubberband to tie it to prevent from cracking. It could still be delicious but since we're paying for the best, why bother taking the risk?
3) Smell the durian. If it has strong smell, it's most likely to be good. If no smell, it's probably not ripe.
4) Put the durian close to your ear and shake it. If there's a moving sound inside, it's most likely to be good.
5) Look for holes around the durian. If there is, most likely it has been infested with worms.

Bear in mind, these are not SOP (standard procedures) for choosing durians. It's only a basic guideline for us to know and not necessarily will get us the best tastes of durians. Like what people used to say, dont judge the book by its cover. Same applies to durians. Will post more on this subject later. Meanwhile, Happy Eating !!!

Durian Durian...

Talking the "Eat As Much As U Can" promo, be it for Dim Sum, hotel buffet spread etc, may not get people take notice. Apply the promo to durians & people all over the town will get crazy, scrambling to have a try at least. Currently, there's 3 stalls in SS 2, Petaling Jaya having this promo for a month now. Situated just behind BHP petrol station & within walking distance from the police station, these stalls are always packed with people waiting to get a taste of the King of Fruits.

Even though stalls are in SS2, temptation just too strong for me & tried 3 times already. Once in each of the 3 stalls...these are some rules & observations. Promo only applicable on weekdays. U can't choose the durians, they are brought to you by the staffs, either u take it or leave it. True to their promise of "pau sek" (Guaranteed Good), those staffs will open up the durians first for u to see. Good quality ones shall be sold to u at price per kg. Price ranges from RM 10.00 to RM 30.00 per kg for an above average quality durian. The favourites are the always reliable D24, Udang Merah (Red Prawn or Ang Heh), Hor Lor, Musang King & Bukit Beruang species. Here, it's like a gold market, the higher the price range, the better the quality. So, ur looking at 3 pieces for RM10.00, dun have too high of an expectation.

The one found not to be of standard will be put aside in separate baskets.The staffs will open & open till you're satisfied with the quality. The one in separate baskets earlier are then offered to the "promo takers". Not to say these are the rejected stocks but overall, it's fairly acceptable when ur paying just RM 10.00 to eat till u drop !!! If ur lucky, u may get to eat the great quality ones especially on the unsold units. As durians normally last maximum of 2 days upon harvest, the stall guys will have no choice but to open the unsold units & offer them as part of promo. At least, they still got paid for it at RM10.00 per pax. Joining me for the next visit???

The all-time favourite D 24 species sold at Rm14.00 per kg

Staff opening durians for patrons

D24 - Golden Yellowish in colour, truly heavenly

How not to be tempted when a piece like this is as big as your palm??