Fresh Durian Vs Frozen Durian

Fresh Durian

Few evenings ago, I was passing by some durian shops after dropping off some items to a friend, and decided to have a little bit of fresh durian.  The whole of last year, I barely ate durian, partly due to the Circuit Breaker (kind of a lock down) and also, I wasn't so convince of the quality.  It didn't make me crave.

Ok, so, I hard that the season is ending.  Don't expect too much but I'll be objective.

There were D24, MSW and also other whatever variants, plus some Thai durians too.  I decided to try D24 (since MSW isn't my first choice mostly).  

At first sight, both D24s were not impressive I must admit.  It is unevenly ripen!  Each durian had about 5 seeds and only 2 or 3 are evenly ripen while the rest are uneven.  Taste wise, it was really, subtle, not something that leaves me lingering for more.  I washed it down with beer.

(P/s : don't be deceived by the photos above.  I take photo of the nicest piece and it will make the whole durian looks drool worthy)

Frozen Durian

I've been thinking of feasting on my frozen durian from eons ago.  It has been quite long, so I am a little concern if the durian remains edible or has it turned stale.  Among my stock of frozen durians, I have 3 packs that dates as far back as 13 July 2015 ("New Freezing Method" post ) and many other packets up to 2019.

The last time I had a packet was in Sept 2019.  That shows, either I couldn't bear to consume it, or I just forgotten (no way will I forget my frozen durians).

(frozen durian upon defrost, usually doesn't look pretty, well, unless, I mix it again, semi-freeze and use an ice cream scoop to present it in a bowl or something... but, I am such a glutton, I couldn't wait longer to do all these photo thingy)

I took out a pack of frozen MSW from the 2015 batch to see if it is still good.  This batch is already 5 years 9 months old.  Really?  A lot of things doesn't last that long does it?  Would anyone keep frozen durian as long as I did?  This isn't aged wine or whiskey, that gets better if kept in climate controlled environment.  This is fresh fruit kept frozen.

I was prepared it will taste unpleasing but to my surprise, it is still as good as if it was maybe 1 month old frozen durian.  The creaminess, the flavour, the texture (remember to also peel the thicker membrane that sticks to the seed as this layer has a bit more texture), the color, everything!  It was really good!

(My brother came visit me couple of weeks back, and I gave him a pack of frozen durian from this lot [July 2015] to try.  Overall, he found it amazing after nearly 6 years, sticky on the throat.  Now I'm left with 1 pack from this lot [which I'll eat it in July 2021, to make it truly, 6 years old durian].  Next lot was prepared in Sept or Nov 2015).

Verdict!

It's the era of Ice Age!  Where's Scrat?

It taste better than the fresh durian I had days ago.

If you are keen to freeze your own durian, or other puree fruit, remember, the trick is, AIR!  If we look at anything frozen, if there is any pockets of air, it will cause moisture lost, and that is what ruined the texture and taste of whatever we are preserving by freezing.  The freezing method I used is described in this post where I explained about extracting air.

Thai Durian vs Malaysia Durian 

Since the Malaysia durian season ended weeks ago, and the next season is about to start, I had taken to, Thai Durian, namely, Cheng Nee.

Many Singapore/Malaysia consumers are not in favour of Thai durians, for several reasons including, Under ripen durian, low quality, mild durian pungentness, lack of flavor, and the gassy taste that is familiar with Thai durian.

I concur to a certain extend.

From a novice notion, Thai durians are harvested before it fully ripens.  To the Thais, rotten fruit falls off the tree, while good fruits are harvest.  Not wrong.  Which fruit apart from durian, falls off the tree and are consumed?  I can't think of any.

Coming back to this update.  Since the Malaysian durians are not very much in the season yet, well, might as well, try Thai durians.  This piece I tried is a mid size Cheng Nee, weighing between 1.6-1.8kg if I'm not wrong (ailing memory).  

The color is rather even, a sign of consistency, and the flesh are succulent soft and there is no 'blind' spot of hardness (uneven ripeness).  

Taste test.  First bite, it has the aroma that I hope to get, not overly pronounced like Malaysian durians.  Thai durians are more subtle in taste, yet this piece has a nice linger smell up the nose on first bite.  It is mildly sweet/bitter, and smooth creaminess akin to a good MSW (btw, I've not had good MSW for a long time).

The end result, the aroma didn't last too long after the last seed.  It vanish soon after, which is, what is expected of Thai durians, which I'll phase it as, "Good while it last, gone when you are done".

Conclusion of this Thai durian vs the Malaysian durian I had in early April 2021, this Thai durian wins!

Next Malaysia Durian Season

As at last weekend (8 May 21), there are already some Malaysia durians in the market.  If I'm not wrong, most common Malaysia durians available currently are, Kang Hai, D13 and D101.  I'm not sure if other variants are out yet.  I'm not yet keen in Malaysia durians, as it is very early season.  Let's wait another 2 weeks or so.  

Errrr if you try to freeze and age it, and if it turned out bad, don't hold me accountable ok.