A HANDY GUIDE TO DURIANS
Arguably the most prized of all produce in Southeast Asia, durian, aka the “king of fruits” is also one that divides like no other. Its sulphur compounds may mean you smell it long before you see it, but ask any durian devotee, and they’ll swear by the silken, custardy flesh under its thorny shell.
It’s a flavour so intense that the highest quality durians are obsessively sought after.
But how can you tell a good durian stench from the bad? How do you tell one type of durian from another? What should you look out for when buying durians? CNA Lifestyle has tips from the experts.
Time your purchase properly. Usually the best time is when the prices are at the lowest, because that’s when the harvest is at its peak.
Kelvin Tan, director and self-declared Chief Durian Officer of durian retailer-cafe 99 Old Trees
TOP EXPERT TIP:
ORIGINS: Kelantan, Pahang, Johor
ALSO KNOWN AS: Musang King, Raja Kunyit
TASTE AND TEXTURE: Said to be the most popular durian in Singapore, this show-stopper is loved by many for its thick, golden, creamy bittersweet flesh that peels satisfyingly tidily off the seed.
HOW TO RECOGNISE: Identifiable by a star-shaped bald patch on the bottom of the fruit, as well as its blocky, pyramid-shaped thorns. It’s usually shaped like a fat pear with a rounded or slightly flat bottom.
Mao Shan Wang
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TYPES OF DURIANS
ORIGINS: Johor, Pahang and Cameron Highlands
ALSO KNOWN AS: Sultan
TASTE AND TEXTURE: A
favourite back in the day before the surge of
Mao Shan Wang’s popularity, this is the one
for those who like their durian not too sweet,
but punchy with a bitterness akin to dark
chocolate.
The flesh is creamy and
cream-coloured and extremely dense.
HOW TO RECOGNISE: The stem of the durian is shorter compared to that of other durians. The D24 also has unusually small, slim thorns that are round and that jut straight out without curving.
D24
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ORIGINS: Pahang
TASTE AND TEXTURE: Dubbed the
“emperor of durians”, this is billed as a
premium durian sitting a few notches higher
than the Mao Shan Wang.
It
features thick and succulent flesh, silky in
texture with an intense flavour of alcohol and
complementary notes of chocolate, toffee and
coffee.
HOW TO RECOGNISE: A Black Gold durian should have dark greyish-green seams on the durian husk. This is a sign of a mature durian tree which is capable of producing a complex, bitter and delicious taste.
Black Gold
03
ORIGINS: Penang
TASTE AND TEXTURE: Rosy orange creamy flesh with a slightly alcoholic sparkle in taste, similar to that of Mao Shan Wang, but not as rich and has a lighter texture.
HOW TO RECOGNISE: It has a
plump pumpkin shape and squat little stem,
about as long as a thumb.
The
bottom has a little belly button indent that
protects the durian’s dried-up lower stamen
from breaking off as it grows, creating a
blackened “thorn” that protrudes, giving the
durian its name.
Black Thorn
04
ORIGINS: Pahang and Johor
ALSO KNOWN AS: Ang Hei, Hong Xia, Udang Merah
TASTE AND TEXTURE: Creamier and stickier than most durians, the taste of this durian depends largely on the age of the tree that it grew on.
Renowned for its soft pinkish-grey flesh that, at its ultimate best, tastes like cherry chocolate bonbons whipped into a texture like melted marshmallows.
HOW TO RECOGNISE: Shaped a bit like an American football, Red Prawns are rounded and slightly pointed at the ends. The durian shells are thick due to the wide core of the durian, so when opened, there may not be a lot of fruit.
Red Prawn
05
Learning the basics on how to choose a good durian and avoid a bad one is key to getting the most bang for your buck.
HOW TO PICK THE PERFECT DURIAN
Occasionally, you’ll see that a stem top is unnaturally smooth. This may indicate it has been sliced off by a knife. This practice attempts to disguise either the browning from oxidation that reveals how long a durian has been off the tree, or that this durian was cut off the tree instead of being allowed to fall naturally.
The stem should look a fresh pale brown
colour with green undertones and a thin
skin.
The skin should peel off
easily, revealing a moist green interior. If
the top is dark brown, the durian is likely
overripe - a clear indication to avoid it at
all costs.
Check the stem for freshness
01
HOW TO PICK THE PERFECT DURIAN
Learning the basics on how to choose a good durian and avoid a bad one is key to getting the most bang for your buck.
Choose something that is not too small and not too big. Sometimes a durian drops not because it’s ripe but because it’s too big and heavy. When the wind blows or it rains, it would fall. So a big durian doesn’t mean you’ll get the most flesh and seeds. Choose something that is round and not the odd-shaped type so you get flesh in all compartments and get the most value for money.
Go for medium-sized and regular-shaped durians
02
Check for visible wormholes. If there is a small wormhole, the worms haven’t entered the chambers yet and that is fine. Usually, durians affected by worms are a sign that they are good durians. Also check for visible cracks along the durians, especially horizontally. If it cracks vertically and there is a hairline crack, then that’s normal.
Check the surface for wormholes and cracks
03
Give the durian a little bit of shake and you should feel some movement in the fruit. This will indicate ripeness.
A totally unripe durian has no sound. As the durian loses moisture, the flesh inside shrinks away from the shell, creating empty space. So give the durian a quick shake and you should feel the slight thump of the seed moving inside.
Shake it and listen
04
Look at the base closely
One of the characteristics of Mao Shan Wang is the star at the bottom, but a lot of durians have a similar-looking star. Sometimes people are duped into buying a durian that isn’t Mao Shan Wang. That’s why most customers choose their durian sellers instead of durians.
05
For a bad durian, the inner stem could be mushy and the outer part of the husk could appear soggy. The flesh could also be mushy. This indicates the durian is either old or it got smashed up badly along the journey.
When a durian seller opens a durian for you, it should not be too watery-looking. The flesh should look custardy and creamy.
Inspect the flesh and the husk
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Journalist
Genevieve Sarah Loh
Interactive Design
Chern ling
Video
Joyee Koo
Photos: 99 Old Trees, Ah Seng Durian & Durian Delivery
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