Monday 11 June 2012

Durian Season


It’s durian season again! Every year between the months of June and September you’ll smell it at almost every open air food outlet you go.

Some people regard the durian as fragrant; others find the smell disgusting odour like the some of the Hong Kongers describe the smell as “Cat’s shit”. They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder , same applies also to the food. One person's paradise can be another one nightmare.

Same thing people said about Hong Kong stinky tofu. They love it , we hate it. Likewise we love our durians ,they hate it.


I  think it's good not everyone love durians. Otherwise , the price will be inflated and our durians will become expensive due to the high demand.


 Culinary adventurer and Bizarre Foods host Andrew Zimmern can eat all the disgusting bizarre food you can think of like taking a shot of whiskey with a snake heart still beating heart but I just can’t believe it when the one thing he can't stomach is durian.

Widely known and in southeast Asia as the "king of fruits", the durian is distinctive for its large size, unique odour, and formidable thorn-covered husk.

The Durian according to legend...

In the early 15th Century, famed navigator Zheng He, of the Ming Dynasty, set out from China with a crew of sailors, on a mission to explore Southeast Asia.


After long months of expedition, the sailors mind becomes restless and longing to go home or homesick.The Admiral Zheng He need need something to keep them motivated.


That’s when he discovered the fruit and name it “liu lian” in Mandarin which means “reluctance to leave.”

The mangosteen season coincides with that of the durian. If the durian is the King of fruits then the mangosteen is known as the Queen of Fruits. How do they compliment each other?


The durian fruit represents heat and has the element of yang, while the mangosteen is “ cooling” with yin energy.

 
There are probably more than 5000 kinds of durian in the world ? In Malaysia among the most expensive durian in the market are XO, Raja Kunyit and Mao San Wong (mountain cat king) which can fetch as much as RM25 per kilo.


My friend , Yeo said once you try it you will not want to taste others. Not for me, I think I will stick to the more common one(2nd Grade) like Ang Heh (Red Prawn Durian) which is cheaper.The flesh is highly aromatic and very soft with a bitter-sweet taste.


To open the durian is easy if it is already crack open, otherwise you have to open it through the butt of durian with something hard to pry open. Normally we use a chopping knife, a short knife or a flat head screwdriver.Mom always like to say the harder it takes to open the durian the better it taste.


Just like when you chase a girl, the harder it takes the more you'll appreciate her.


Don't Get Me Wrong - I'm not saying girls should play hard to get one.


Sometimes we could not finish all the durians, so the leftover durian pulps have to put into airtight container in the fridge.


To get rid of the strong smell, try to put a slice of bread in it. The bread will absorb the smell, others like charcoal and baking soda works too.

The durian seller will open the fruits for you  .... Of course, if you're too lazy to open yourself ,so you can eat at the roadside. In this way you save the energy and save you the trouble to dispose of the durian husk.


I think I may have overbought
How can anyone resist?

After eating durian you will feel heaty and Mangosteen`s provide the cooling effect. Another way is Old Wives' Tale by method of counteract this heat is to pour water into the empty shell of the fruit after the pulp has been consumed and drink it.

Yeo does not believe in old wives mambo jumbo tales, after an overindulgence in durians eating at night (6 durians eaten), he had at a hard time to cope with heartburn. Couldn't even move his body comfortably while asleep and had to go on a diet the next day.

His wife asked him the next day if he's alright, he just replied no appetite to eat, that all.

I told you so!

This method of cooling has been in use for ages, who started it?

Another common local belief or taboo is when eating durian ,one should not eat together with mutton to avoid more heaty or crabs meat (avoid food poisoning from chemical reaction) or drinking alcoholic beverages /coffee or carbonated beverages which lead to bloating of the stomach. No Harm Done in Following, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

How to Get the Smell of durians off hands or mouth?  You can rinse your mouth in water that have been rinsed with durian shells or use the durian shell to scrub and wash your hand to get of the smell. Frankly I did not try any of those method cause I don't consider it as a smell, I call it more like emits a fragrance or perfume.


There is a common saying is that a durian has eyes and can see where it is falling because the fruit allegedly never falls during daylight hours when people may be hurt.


Well I don't think you need to go risk your life by testing this theory.Make sure to put on a safety helmet if you do walk into durian plantation. Especially when a strong wind blows.

One thing sure is bad about Durian.


It is so addictive that I over eat the durians that would lead me to feel heaty the next day. Never mind loh! It's durian season ,once a year season event.



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