D13, D101, Red Prawns. Same but different.

I decided to edit this post (22/06/2020) and elaborate it in more details, after seeing so many 'Red Prawns' being sold in Singapore.  Oh yea?  Red Prawns?  Go to the market, buy some prawns and bring it home to steam.... it's red when cooked 😏


I didn't write on these 3 varieties, firstly because I don't fancy these durians most of the time, and secondly, I don't have photos of my own to share.  But after hearing and reading from various opinions, I thought I like to also kaypo and chip in my own 2 cents.

Let's clarify a little.  These 3 varieties are TOTALLY DIFFERENT!  D13 are commonly passed off as Red Prawns (another pass off is "Ang Bak Kia", which is also D13 or the sorts).  To our untrained eyes, we will not likely be able to tell the difference.  Neither do I know how to.  But trust me, D13 cannot be compared with Red Prawns as the latter has better character and taste.

D101 is NOT similar in taste and looks to D13, except that the flesh has similar shade of orange.  None of these 2 has near red flesh, but just creamy orangy color.  I am not sure how they end up referring to these as "Ang Bak" (red flesh).  

Let me dive a little into, D13, D101 and Red Prawns.

D13 
Mostly smaller sized durians, averaging about 1 to 1.3kg, sometimes heavier sometimes light, but that's just a general size.  The color of the shell are usually lighter shade of green compared to D101.  Most D13, seems to be whitish on the shell, which I'm still not too sure, if it's residue from pesticides, or the shells are prone to being stained (but shouldn't it be blacken instead if it's stain [eg algae]?)

Taste wise, D13 is mostly mild, sweet and doesn't leave much impression.  The 'kam kam' taste is there, but just ok.  If you are lucky, a good D13 has that bruised shade and rather winkled, taste strong with the lingering effect on your nose, and bitter.  But that's not common.

D13 is a easy to consume durian for non durian lovers.  First time durian consumer usually are more ok with D13 since it's rather sweet and light flavoured.

The membrane is very easily torn, thus if you packed it in box, it isn't unusual to see the durian fresh not looking as pretty.

D101
The durian size is usually quite large, 2kg or more.  The shape is rather uniform, with the 5 sides being quite pronounced.  Thorns are usually longer, spinny and very sharp (needle like in a sense).  The whole shell is usually darker shade of green.

Unless you get good quality D101, otherwise, most of it has a sour note after taste.  The lousier the durian, the more sour it gets.  Don't get it wrong, it's not durian gone bad, but that's the characteristics of D101.  

This durian is usually quite 'value for money' given that it is has a good yield of flesh and sometimes, small seeds.  

The color of fresh is usually deeper shade or orange, and the texture is usually more softer than usual.  The membrane tears easily too due to the softness of the flesh.

If you are lucky, a good D101 is one darn good durian that I love.  A really good D101 is bitter, and importantly, no sour after taste.  It has good aroma, good citrusy flavour and it definitely has that shoot up the nose effect.

Red Prawns
Most past off durian among the lot.  Most durian stalls in Singapore will claimed they carry Red Prawns, when in reality, it is merely the cheaper and lower quality D13.  But again, because most consumers are unable to tell the difference, and a good name sells, most durian stalls are selling 'Red Prawns'.

Firstly, there are very limited supply of real Red Prawns.  Even though some plantations has some Red Prawns durian trees, it is really not enough that you see so many stalls with heaps of Red Prawns.  Even if you go Penang, you think Red Prawns littered the streets or piled up high at the durian stalls there?

Red Prawns are very good durians.  Seriously, it is so good, MSW is so over rated.

The taste actually kind of hits a note in the head.  The strong character is like good aged wine.  Very fruity, I just can't describe it.

Lastly, since the supply is so low, trust me on this, even if there are real Red Prawns at the stall, the quantity is usually within finger tips.  If I'm a durian stall owner, I probably will single them out and placed them separately from D13, and sell it at a much higher price.  I may even want to placed them in rattan holders and hang them up.

On the random lucky visits to the stall, only when I'm a little familiar with the durian guy, would I get to eat real red prawns.  And on such lucky visits, there are only that few Red Prawns available.  Quite often, the durian seller will reserve it for his preferred customers.




So yes, do note the difference.  It is ok to eat D13, but just don't be so easily taken in that it's Red Prawns.  If you want to see if the seller is honest, ask for D13, and you will see him opening durian from the so called Red Prawns lot.  Nailed it!

Chill La

Many likes it hot (eerr room temperature), while some likes it cold.  Well... if you have yet to try cold durian, maybe you want to try it.

Did you know, durian takes a longer time to freeze than many other fruits?  So yes, you can place it in the freezer for hours without turning into stone.

How do you know how long to to keep in the freezer before it starts freezing?  I done some trials over the years and have a simple rule of thumb where it comes to reaching the 'ice cold' durian, before it starts freezing.  Generally, the softer/wetter durians freeze faster while the firmer/drier durians takes longer.  That's because, moisture/water freeze faster.

For softer/wetter durians (eg XO), you can put it into the freezer (unless yours is a quick freeze type) for anything between 2 - 4 hours.  It will start freezing beyond 4 hours.  So, if you kept it there for 2 - 3 hours, you get really cold durian, yet not too cold that the taste is 'frozen'.

For firmer/drier durians (eg MSW, Tek Kah, D24), you can put it into the freezer for up to 6 hours before it starts freezing.  Ideally, put it into the freezer for about 4 hours to get that cold cold durian.

But mind you, that's not how "Ice Cream Durian" came about.  Ice Cream Durian is another 'variety' of durian.  I have not seen any REAL ice cream durian except trying it once sometime in 2001.  I didn't blog on Ice Cream Durian variety as it is either non-existent, or you don't get the real stuff so easily, that I rather not evilly makes you lust for it.  Lust it is, the ones I tried (yes, tried only ONCE) have been tatooed into my mind.

 Hear say, it helps reduce heatiness in durian (I LIED!!!)

FREEZE! Who Cares About Season?

Many durian fanatics crave for durians in between the season.  How often do you wish you could sink your teeth into it any day of the year?

The trick is to freeze durian and you can still eat it a couple of months later.  You may lost anything between 10-20% if you do it right, or ruin it if you don't.  How do you go about doing it?
1.  Get durian when it peaks, so it's cheap and good.  Make sure it's at its best and your favorite.

2.  Avoid freezing the wet types of durian (eg XO) as there will be too much water content.  I prefer the drier types such as Mao San Wang, D24, etc.

3.  Lay the durians neatly into the air tight container.  Try not to stack, or only 2 layers.

4.  Apply a layer of shrink wrap at the top of container before closing the lid.  

5.  Wrap the container with a few pieces of newspapers.  This can help keep the temperature constant despite the regular opening/closing of freezer door, thereby reducing ice crystals.

Hint Hint : Bring along your container to the shop so the durian guy can pack it into the container for you.  This way, you save the trouble of doing it yourself, or the mess from transferring it from styroform box.

Before consumption, unwrap the newspaper and let it thaw for about 1-2 hours, depending on how long it takes to soften.  

What happen if the durians are kept for a tad too long and the taste doesn't please you much?  Pulp it, use it to make ice cream.  Ice Cream recipe is provided in this blog.

Errr boss boss, you sell frozen durians?  But if YOU do, please give me special price ok (that's e comm for writing this for you guys to read"