Almost Forgotten Durian

I mean, I also almost forgotten about this blog too.

Almost lost the interest in durian and durian writing these few years and I've eaten no more than 3 times per year since Covid.... mental fog maybe.

Durian has almost became a distanced dream that I hardly crave for.  I lost the lust actually!  There's no more 'I can't live without durian' mindset.  What happened?

The last few years, I've hardly had any good durians that will blow the grey matters out of my skull.  Ok fine, admittedly, there isn't much grey matter in there anyway.

What's so nice about Mao Shan Wang (MSW)?  Ok sorry if you are a MSW lover, no offense intended.  But really, it doesn't give me any kick, it's completely anti-climax... imagine when the lust is so sexually high, and than comes MSW, even the old dragon becomes a worm in me.  MSW, it's too predictable!  

I've not had any good MSW for years.  The MSW that is considered good, to me strictly, is when it has that omph factor of a freshly brewed coffee in the local coffeeshop, that strong aroma and that wake me up factor.  I can't recall when I last had such omph factor MSW.  

Ok I did the story telling.

Today, was having coffee at a coffeeshop (ok there's no omph factor in the coffee, it was kinda stale anyway) when we decided to try out durians at the nearby shop.  

The varieties were good.  There's D13, D56 (don't know what's that, have not try it before I think), D88, Shen Xian Guo, XO, Tekka, MSW.... anymore?  Dunno, din ask what they have.

We tried 3 variants, XO, Shen Xian Guo and Tekka.

Tekka is one of my favourate durian, so naturally, I would like to try it.  But it wasn't really that good.  It was half good, half han-zi (literally translated as, sweet potato, and a term to describe half ripe, bland, etc).  It's not the type of Tekka that will make me rave.

Shen Xian Guo was recommended to me by the boss.  I didn't have much impression of Shen Xian Guo as I last ate it many years back and it doesn't leave an impression.  So the boss corrected my wrong understanding of it and I must give him credit for proving my ignorance.  The one he opened for us has a nice tone of lighter shade of yellow, winkly and soft flesh. 

Hmmmm I like it!  It's got that mild stickiness, yet soft but not runny, flesh.  The taste was quite kampong durian taste, which has better depth than average graded durian variant.  It's midly bitter sweet.  Not too bitter nor sweet.  Quite balance overall.

Lastly, XO.  To me, a good XO is usually creamy beige color tone and not white.  White XO are mainly just bitter, but lacks flavor (hmmm maybe taking paracetamol is good enough).  A creamy beige flesh tends to be more flavorful.  It's not strong tasting, but XO just has it's uniqueness compared to many durians.  

The XO we had, was creamy beige in color.  The flavour was definitely what I would considered a good XO, as it's not just bland bitter.  

It's also quite value for money, given that the shell is quite thin mostly, and usually round thus you get 5 or 6 sides.  The seeds are usually small, which means, you get more flesh.  The down side, the a good XO is usually soft till it may even be runny to some.  

Conclusion. 
Out of the 3, XO definitely win somehow.  Shen Xian Guo was good.  Tekka, forgettable.  Overall, it was good enough to fill the stomach, but not good enough to make me crave to have durian again tomorrow.  Well, I'll wait a week or so, before I may try having durian again.

The peak season should be arriving in about 1-2 weeks, and prices will likely come down a bit, and quality goes up too.

Pardon the bad photos, wasn't really keen to take so didn't assemble the durians like soldiers in a parade

Mao Shan Wang MSW - The Sequel to Name Sells (Different Variant?)

Just yesterday, I was out for my lunch, when I noticed that durian prices have 'soften' and became very appealing to consumers.  There were heaps of different variants of durians from Johor for sale there.

After the quick stroll through the heaps and settling down at the coffeeshop next to the make shift stall, I noticed seemingly some happy customers leaving the durian stall with bags of comfortable priced durians.

However, when I look upwards to the tentage, I couldn't help but noticed this banner.  

It is quite a common sight to see "Black Gold" and Pahang MSW, among other FANCIFUL names.  So, based on the banner above, how different are they?

I'm sure many consumers have heard/seen the following too

-  Highland MSW

-  Old Tree MSW

-  Highland Old Tree MSW

-  and recent years, Black Gold MSW and 

-  Tai Shang Wang

-  Wang Zhong Wang

I'm not saying there are no such durian (or if everything is real), but, hey, what's the authenticity of these 'variants'?  Many consumers are very unaware!  It's fine paying more for what you deem you are getting, or should I generally say, pay the price you are willing to pay for what you gotten.  Authenticity isn't relevant ya??

Let me share a bit of Insider info.  If every consumer is aware of this, and durian sellers sees this post.... well.... i leave it as that.

Before revealing further, let me refresh 1 variant that has largely been forgotten... Wang Zhong Wang!  Hey, isn't that a variant that sellers claims????  WHAT?  EXTINCTION together with the dinosaurs?  Oh no... why didn't Xiao Qiang (nick name for cockroach, in case foreign readers wonder what that is) didn't go extinct? 

Now, let is go through the different 'Variants'/names in a sellers gonna hate me fashion.

The 'Extinct' Wang Zhong Wang (WZW)

In reality, WZW is NOT a variant on its own!  It is just the better of the lot!  Get it?  Years ago, sellers single out a few pieces from that day's supply and grouped it as WZW!  

Is it wrong?  Well, it's fine with me actually.  After all, it was usually the better of the whole day's supply and many consumers don't mind paying a few extra dollars per kilogram for it.

So, any variant of durian, can actually be categorized as WZW.  It isn't really wrong in my opinion.

The Different Types of MSW

Before going into it.  MSW was first discovered in the 80s, which is nearly 40 years ago.  It was discovered in Kelantan, and a branch was grafted onto a durian tree in Pahang.  That's the origin of MSW.  

Referring to the list of names above, I'll group these (Highland, Old Tree, Highland Old Tree) together, as it is all MSW that consumers are accustomed with.

How wrong is it to term, Pahang's durian (even if it is just kampung durian from Pahang) as HIGHLAND?  Many parts of Pahang are actually highlands, especially the durian growing region.

Highland Old Tree is just another jargon.

Old tree.  HOW OLD are these trees, before they are categorized as Old Tree?  Oh ya... we don't relate to age as YOUNG do we?  So, a ONE year old child is still called 'old'.

But if people knows better, most trees are actually very young.  Most MSW are grafted from another grafted MSW 'tree'.  So do we take the age from the 

-  grafted branch as it's age, or 

-  the original tree that it was grafted onto, or

-  since MSW came from a tree discovered in the 1980s?  

Whichever, it can't be considered old even if the tree is maybe 20+ years old right?  I'm senile, forgotten, I just mentioned One Year Old is also called Old.

Oh how about Genting Highland Old Tree

Some frequent visitors to Genting Highland would have encounter durian stalls near the foot hill.  Among the most popular durian variant that consumers loved would be MSW.

So, that's how Genting Highland Old Tree MSW came about.  Genting, I am not sure if there is even a single MSW tree there. Maybe someday, someone is going to start claiming Cameroon Highland or Fraser Hill once the novelty of the current range of names gets stale.

What about Black Gold and Tai Shang Wang

Black Gold MSW was a term coined in recent years and from my unfounded understanding (I'm just BSing here)... as told by sellers too actually.... Black Gold MSW are MSW with the 'black' bruised hue instead of the evenly yellow MSW.  Generally, they just made it seems like e premium range la.

Wang Zhong Wang disappeared so suddenly, and well... Black Gold sounds really nice.

(remember to keep your poop, cos it's worth in gold)

Tai Shang Wang

Going back in history (goodness... i am either sounding old, or a historian wannabe but can't be), the term Tai Shang Wang (or Huang) is an honorific and institution of retired emperorship (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taishang_Huang)

So, is Tai Shang Wang/Huang, a retired MSW?  Or just a honorific name that is merely just... MSW?

Differentiating MSW

Among the many names above, are they really so different, or just a name?

I've helped out at certain durian stalls before, for fun, or because I was invited to help.  It's not exactly for the money, cos it doesn't measure up.

So, from what I know (up to you to believe me).  MSW arrived based on Grade A, Grade B and Grade C!  It doesn't arrive as Black Gold, Tai Shang Wang, Highland, Old Tree, or any other fancy names!!!  PERIOD!

The 'variants' segregation are... done at/by the stall.  

So it is up to you to believe what you were sold, or know where these 'variants' came from.... 1 random seller told me years ago, I don't know how to eat durian.  I only told him, "yes, I don't know how to eat durian, but he knows how to sell, so sell it to gullible buyers".  

Spare me his crap.  When I started eating durian, he was still swimming in some sack (gosh, I'm so uncouth here).

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Disclaimer : This insider may upset some sellers... or make some consumers rethink what they are being sold.  

So, who is telling the truth?  This senile blogger or your durian seller?

I'm not sorry... it was intentional!  

Mid Year 2022

As reported in Malay Mail news portal, that durian prices will see a steep increase.

Extract from the article below:

JASIN, May 14 — Durian fans, especially those who love premium varieties like Musang King and Black Thorn, will have to deal with an expected 100 per cent price increase during this year’s durian season.

Deputy Agriculture and Food Industry Minister I Datuk Seri Ahmad Hamzah said the price hike was due to a 50 per cent drop in durian production due to weather conditions.

“We believe that the rainy season at the end of March to April has impacted the pollination of durian, which impacts the number of fruits.

Too much rainfall and strong wind impacts pollination.  This is not just during the pollination period but also during early stages of fruition.

The repeated heavy rain and flooding in Malaysia (referring to Weather Report between late 2021 till recent) will reduce fruition extensively.

Extract on most current report :

Pahang, Malaysia

Event Date : Tue, 10 May 2022

AHADID : AHA-FL-2022-000550-MYS | GLIDE Number:

Impact Update Date : Tue, 10 May 2022 14:07:53

AFFECTED AREA/S

Bentong

DESCRIPTION

Heavy rainfall has been affecting southeastern Peninsular Malaysia (in particular the Pahang State) since 10 May, causing floods that have resulted in evacuations and damage. Media report, as of 12 May, around 100 evacuated people and nearly 150 damaged houses across the Bentong District (north-east of the Kuala Lumpur area, Pahang State). Over the next 24 hours, more heavy rainfall with locally very heavy rainfall is forecast over the whole of Peninsular Malaysia.

As we are in the early season, and with this rainfall, it just gets me wondering on the quality.  Having spoken to a durian seller last week, he shared that the quality is only 50% yield per basket.

I'll hold my fangs... not much craving for durians in the last 2 years due to lower quality.

P/S : Heng ah, I still have a lot of frozen durian puree in the freezer... and i'm not sharing with anyone/everyone.

------------update 20/06/22--------------

As reported in the news article recently, durian prices in Singapore drop due to surprised bumper crop.  It was mentioned in the article, the recent rain caused durians to drop earlier.

In the past, most durian consumers are familiar with the notion that rain induced durian supply are usually not so ideal.  Well, I don't know, I haven't eaten this batch of durian yet.

I would think this current softening of price will last only till late June 2022.

In recent years, my passion for durian has dipped tremendously.  I find the taste and flavour to be massively lacking compared to mid 2000s.  

Easily 8 out of 10 times I got to try MSW, it disappoints so much, I end up referring it as, wasted calories, or the stomach is full but the soul is empty!  It's THAT BAD!

I'll consider eating it over the next couple of weeks, but not craving for it any bit.

Just recalled another post I did on End of Cheap Durians (due to demand of the Chinese Market) few years ago.  This recent bumper supply won't last, but it has proven a point, that the chinese market may have helped durian growers to sell to China at better price, but they are not masters of nature.

 

2021 Year End Season & Some Insider

Durian season started about 2 weeks ago.  How many have sunken their teeth into the exotic fruit?

Early Season - My First Scandal 

During first week, most durians are MSW.  About half the durian are noticed to come with burnt seeds.  Quality wise, it was not linked to the burnt seeds.  

I just tried a B grade MSW last night and here's my thoughts.

Size : Approx 1.2kg

Quantity : 7 seeds

Review : The smell did appeal to me thus I decided this piece out of 2 I picked out of the lot.  Color of flesh was quite consistent, no uneven ripeness.  Texture is soft on press, yet not  overly soft till approaching runny, the texture that I tends to like, as it is an indication of the taste.

It taste bitter sweet, with a nice lingering aroma up the nostril.  Coming to texture during consumption, there is a bit of uneven softness I must say.  So that does take a bit of points off.  Of the 7 seeds, 5 were small, 2 were full seeds.

I am definitely not one who believes in seed size having significance on the quality, nor am I really bothered about burnt seeds.  

Overall, I would give it a 7/10.  That is good enough for early season.  I'll be back to do another taste test again in the coming days or week.

In-Season  19/11/21 

A quick glance as I went past some durian stalls, seems like most are selling MSW.  Upon checking, D24 is in stock, but the quality is not up to par yet.  A lot of uneven ripeness.  So, hold your gun (mouth I mean).

I tends to favour Pahang's year end D24.  Rainfall are more ample for year end season, thus tends to be less unevenly ripe (but not sure why the early supply is uneven) while mid year, if I go for D24, it has to be Johor's supply.

I had written before, about weather/rainfall and durians, and why I gathered, that mid year (Johor) and year end (Pahang) D24 are better, and not interchanged. 

A Little Insider

Pahang was faced with quite a lot of rainfall during flowering and early fruiting period.  These are not good for durian.  That partly explains the unevenness of texture (it is not uneven ripeness, but just texture) and also burnt seeds.  Another possible cause was over fertilized trees.

Plantation operators are at the mercy of weather.  Consumers at mercy of price.  It's fair.  Plantation operators takes a huge risk.  Retailers takes the direct sales risk.  Consumers mainly faces price fluctuation.  After all, durians are not factory produced products.

Have also been observing retailers selling promo bundle deals of whole durians, at a very glaring price eg 10kg MSW at $200, or even 10kg 'B' MSW at $160.  What many are not aware is, the so called higher price illustrated here, is actually larger sized 'B' MSW while the lower price one is still B but lower grade B (eg 3 sides).  Yes, even within each grade, it is further segregated, like B+ and B-.  

Currently, retailers cannot be selling 'A' grade MSW at $20/kg, as it is very near their cost.  Where's their profit?  Operating a retail business is very high cost and high risk.  I'll not be gullible to blindly believe they will sell A grade MSW at such a price.  However, gimmicks are very attractive and will attract a lot of spenders because consumers are always on the lookout for good bargain.  I'll leave it as that.

I'll need to kneel on durian shells for exposing the insiders.

Harmless Lust

I've not had good D101 for a really really long time, and not expecting to try it.  But I won't hesitate feasting on D101 if it's good.

But I've always had this special lust for a good Tekka.  It's not like, the best durian, texture is usually fibrous/grainy but it's an hard to explain fettish.  Wasted.  Mid year season, I saw some good Tekka but didn't try it.  What gotten into me?  Maybe the monkey took my brain away.

So for this season, let's hope I can get to try some (1) Tekka, hopefully I get impressed with good old (2) some real XO Durian, (3) D24 XO, if some crustaceans swims to me (4) Red Prawns.  

LUST but not least, I need to wash it down with more beer (or a good whiskey... oh man, I visited a whiskey bar recently and had some good whiskey but it's a bit costly tho).  Anyone buying?

Mid Year 2021 Season

I've not been consuming much durians, as it is mostly wasted calories.  Why did I say that?  The quality are sub standard.

A lot of consumers seeks MSW and the recent years 'new' variants, Black Gold and Black Thorns.

Don't get me wrong, I did hear, these 2 variants are available much further up North.  But almost every stall selling it in Singapore?  Gotta be kidding me.  I'm not buying that 

A few observations in recent weeks.

1.  Supplies

Among the many variants available includes MSW, D24, D13, Red Prawns, Jing Feng (Golden Phoenix), Tekka (Green Bamboo), Tai Yuen (Black Pearl), and the 'Black Gold' and 'Black thorns', etc.

2.  Quality

I've tried Red Prawn and MSW only, and I rather go for Red Prawn.

MSW supply are really really disappointing.  Either too dry or too wet.  Taste wise, not even 50% of what I expect from a good MSW.

Oh, and the 'Black Gold' and 'Black Thorns'......  Can i just eat charcoal?  Charcoals are black, and it's authentic you know!  I'm almost having a mental diarrhea after all.

3.  Names names names

Nvm that black thing.... maybe black magic.

Was at the durian stall, and heard twice from different people, that proves a point.  Many consumers eats words and not durians.

What happened was, a couple pointed out at the sign board that had 2 variants printed, Red Prawns and D24, and they wanted D24.  The pile of durian above the board isn't huge, and there was not a single D24.

Another couple, saw a board with more than 10 names, and wanted 1 of it, and that too wasn't available as the whole pile was MSW.

Anyone eating durians?  I don't have an appetite to eat words.  I'm illiterate!

4.  MSW

Ok if I've to consume it.....

MSW are currently graded A, AB, B and C.  Not everyone knows what it actually means.  Yes?

Grade A are the top grade ones, not in terms of taste and quality but shape and size.

Grade AB is the in between of A and B obviously.

Grade B are still quite large, or should I just equate as, medium size, but usually comes with lesser sides and seeds.

Grade C are in a sense, premature.  They are small.

If I've to consume MSW, I rather go for Grade B.  A rather decent size, yet with less sides and seeds.  

I am a believer that the amount of nutrients that goes to each fruit is 'divided' to each seeds.  If a durian has 10 seeds, each seed receives 10%, while a durian with 5 seeds receives double.  Its just theory, unproven.  But that's the durians I preferred.

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. 

Mid 2020 Season

Malaysia's Movement Control Order (MCO) have mostly been lifted.

Singapore's Circuit Breaker (CB la) is in Phase 2.

Covid-19 has done a lot of damage in many sense, from Economical, to Intellectual.  

CB Phase 2 was lifted past midnight into Friday 19/06/2020.  Of cos we had a few really lose nuts that deserved to be booked/fined and hopefully charged, for deliberately causing trouble by not maintaining social distancing, not masking up, etc.  

Example, heard that a bunch of monkeys invaded a particular 'Village', gathered around a hut (hopefully the 'wild life authorities' do a thorough investigation and take necessary action).  Ok never mind, why did I even talked about monkeys and bananas.  

Stay safe, be responsible and use some pea brain, be masked when in public (unless eating/drinking or exercising).  It's not YOU, it's your family that suffers from irresponsibility.  Wait, not my business.

----------------------------

So, what has this got to do with DURIANS?  Nothing, but something.  With the economy badly affected by Covid-19, with lower consumer confidence, rightfully, spending power would be reduced.  

What's weird is, why are durian so so so expensive?  COST!  Suppliers are charging a premium.  Consumers, probably the 2.5 months CB has reduced spending by nearly half, and that the borders are mostly closed, no need to spend on June Holidays, they have more cash to spare.  So.... well, maybe that explains the capitalist, of very high cost from suppliers.

Friday, CB Phase 2 (PCB) opening.  I was out for dinner with 2 others, and a couple of beers, when we decided, since beer consumption has to stop at 1030pm, we decided to have durians.  That was my first feasting.

It was just that neighbourhood shop.  I asked, if he is able to picked bitter D13, which the guy said, got to try.  The way he picked and opened the durian, I knew, FORGET IT!  I'm getting rubbish.  But what to do, it is just that, average neighbourhood stall with just a durian opener guy.  So don't expect anything good.  

Friend asked for MSW too, never my choice to have MSW, it's really, not my taste.  The best MSW I had was back in around mid 2000, follow by 2015 (which were not as nice compared to 10 years earlier).  I've not had a convincing good MSW for so long, that is why I really don't fancy MSW.  My preference in what I would rate, good MSW, one that has the omph factor of a freshly brew coffee that wakes up the nerves.  

On the durians I had in this session, it was WASTED CALORIES, that's the best I could describe.  Really, WASTED CALORIES!

I think there are quite a bit of Thai durians being sold in Geylang.  Maybe I should head there if I want fresher (than freezer) durians.  After all, a good Thai durian is definitely worth the calories.


-------------------------

Ok what I wanted to say from this session is:

1.  There are hardly and RED PRAWNS out there.  So stop being tricked to believe.  Remember, A Good Name Sells!  

Would you rather buy D13 or Red Prawns?  Got the answer?

To most consumers, you can't tell apart D13 and Red Prawns.  I won't go into it either.  But just trust me that there are really really REALLY very very few REAL Red Prawns in Singapore, even during good season.  Not to mention, we are only at the start of Johor durian season.

2.  Durian quality is really sub standard.

It was HORRIBLE eating those rubbish.  Seriously, my tongue was upset, my stomach was protesting, my soul felt empty (the stomach is full, but the soul is empty).

DAMN!  I... well ok ok ok.... I love durians, even if it's really not of standard, I'll still eat it simply because, I just don't like wasting food.


Conclusion:
Ok I'll not consume these lousy durians for now, unless it's a seller I'm familiar with.  My next fix, I'll go with durian that I pulp from last January stock.  I still have a batch from nearly 5 years ago, which is still sitting pretty in my freezer.  


P/s : Maybe 10 weeks CB.... PCB, and the lousy durian, plus sellers passing off D13 as Red Prawns got me writing so crudely.  Crude oil prices plunged a lot I heard, so that crudeness is here.  Wait ah, do I need to proof read to see if I accidentally had a verbal diarrhoea of profanities?  Nvm, I wanna go toilet liaoz.

Whatever Virus... Stocking Up Irrationally

The last few days, many people just went amok stocking up on rations as if disaster is looming.

Supermarket shelves were cleared, especially on instant noodles, rice, basic necessities.

Singapore's food supply can easily last 6 months.  Why the panic?

Be rational!!!   I rather 'stock up' on my health with more exercise and vitamins/minerals, etc.  Booster your health helps reduce the chance of falling sick, energize your immunity, than lost the sanity and falling sick due to negative mindset.

I see more foreigners (our core workforce on keeping Singapore clean) buying fruits all the time.  I don't see them getting paranoid grabbing all kinds of food stuff, but taking care of their immediate health.

Durians are known to be rich in vitamins and minerals.  Potassium and zinc are good in helping fight bacterial.

So, rather than stock pile on food items, go and pump up your immunity please.

It was reported that China consumption of durian has dropped drastically, thus durian price had declined.  I'm not sure. Doesn't matter.

The different variant of durians at the shop includes MSW, D24XO, Jing Fong and D13.

I tried some D13, and D24XO.

The D13 I had, doesn't even have a hint of sweetness.  It was more bitter, the usual Kam Kam taste of D13, with a nice note of durian aroma lingering through the nose.

This D24XO was on the softer side.

Oh my, it's so nicely bitter and the aroma hit my nerves immediately. The alcoholic sensation was just so awesome. I simply loved it.

Durians or Sate (Bali Indonesia)

Every Chinese New Year is spent out of Singapore, like an annual diving pilgrim.

After doing Philippines for 2 years, decided I'm not doing Philippines this year.  Without much planning, lazy to plan actually, decided to head to Bali.  After all, I've yet to do Amed and Tulamben.

Along the way to Amed on the night if arrival, passed by some road side stalls selling durians (limited quantity).  I was delighted.  Woooo there are durians in Bali!

However, I didn't see any in Amed but on the couple of dives in Tulamben area, we passed by stalls selling a few durians.  Just that I couldn't be asking them to pull over for me to get durians.

Coming down to Seminyak after my dive ended, i saw a lot more durian stalls in Ubud.  But Ubud is quite a distance from Seminyak.  Arrggghhh...

Ok nevermind. 

Just this evening, 1 Feb 2020, I found a famous Sate warung and decided to go there for dinner.  It's a Reward!  There were a few durians at the counter area.  I think it's the warung owner's own trees. 

There were about 8 or 9 pieces and only 1 looks to be from a different tree.  The shape and smell appeals to me more.

The way they serve durian, it seems, they will open it and pour out the flesh onto a plate.  Good thing I followed the guy and stopped him from doing anything disastrous.

The durian looks alright.  Hey, it's kampung durian, don't expect too much ya.

The flesh texture is a little dry, isn't exactly of consistent texture, which is quite common among kampung durians.

Taste wise, it isn't pungent as what I'm familiar with for Singapore and Malaysia kampung durians.  It's milder and a little milky, familiar kampung durian taste and just mildly sweet with a little hint of bitterness.

I'm happy having eaten this durian.  At least I've tried Indonesia, Bali to be precise, durian. 

(Update...)

Just chat with a durian guy who saw the photo above.  He told me this should be a variant called Tawa, family of Lao Tai Por (old granny).  


-------- 02/02/2020-----------
Decided I must return to this Sate Babi warung again before i return home, else may just smack my head tomorrow for not eating again.

There are leftover durians from yesterday, so dont expect it to be as nice since it isntfresh durians.

It was from another tree.  The whole small lot there, all are of the same tree (the only different piece were taken by me yesterday) so I've not much a choice.

It is round, not the kind of durians I prefers, unless it's Ganja (Ganyao). But I still have to eat it.  After all, I dont come to Bali often.

It taste like the average kampung durian without the complexity of a highly desired durian.  It is basically, mildly sweet, rather thin flesh, soft (since it's overnight).  

Still, I enjoyed it.  Been there, ate that.

-------------- Sate oh Satay ---------------

Oh, and since it's a Sate warung, how can I miss out on the Sate.

I ordered Babi Sate with Lontong, which is what they are famous for.  A set consist of 8 sticks of sate and lontong or just 10 sticks of sate without lontong or rice (IDR 30,000 a set).

Lontong in Indonesia, or ketupat in Singapore and Malaysia.  The difference is, they don't provide peanut gravy for the meat to be dip in.  Their small amount of what looks like gravy, is actually more like our sambal.  And it's NICE!

The Sate taste GOOD!  I've not had such nice pork sate (oh, it's called Satay in Singapore and Malaysia).  Only chinese satay sellers back home sells pork satay and it just taste so.... pork.... but this one in Bali is so different.  It is also tender.  Nice!  Gotta eat it yourself to know how good it is.  Won't describe it further.

Before BBQ

Dip in gravy before grilling 

The grilling

Peanut gravy? Nah, it's sambal rather

The rewards

Ps : first time doing a story telling in a post. Now I'm starting to be like many baking or cooking receipe writer.  And I suck at this.

Gullible Consumer

I was down at Geylang recently with cravings for durian.  Just stroll along and see what some stalls were selling, to see if there's anything unusual.

Well, among the available durians, were D14l3, D24, D101, Kang Hai, Mao Shan Wang, etc.

Something stands out sorely.  I don't remember the name, but the stall is creative.  With an unheard name, durians were priced at $58 & $108 per kilogram.  Each day, they only have a few pieces, 3 to 5 maybe.  This stall, well, it's.... I shouldn't name them, but the early stretch from Kallang MRT, and not the old timer big names.

Now... to the unsuspecting 'Roberto', Carrot Head, (both being local terms for gullible spenders, willing to be ripped off), whatever name used, and a upselling, making it seems really unique and privilege, these durians will be sold to such durian idiots.

Don't get me wrong, it is perfectly alright being a carrot head.  Just don't tell Singaporean or Malaysian durians consumer you paid S$108/kg for this whatever named, because, it is merely, MAO SHAN WANG MSW, that you can get the same at $28/kg.

Don't be the butt of joke.  Just be quiet having become the walking Carrot.

P/S : no photo la.... but if they upsell, and there is only that mere few durians sold at 'prestigous' price, don't be that Ah Hai aka Carrot Head.

Gong tio ho, mai kam lan gong (nvm if you guys don't know what this line means).  Ok i'm uncouth but who cares.

Hello 2020 - First Bite

Year end and beginning of the year, durian consumers usually shy away from durian, not sure if it's to do with most families going on holidays, or spends on Christmas or for their children's new school year.

This year's Lunar New Year falls in January, which makes it worst for durian sellers.

In a sense, GOOD for me cos, lesser demand means there will be nice durians for me.

Sunday 19/01/2020, made a trip to a durian stall for my antidote.  

I was surprised by the exceptionally good quality D24XO.  It was bitter mildly sweet, good floral aroma lingers into the nostril, and the surprising factor was that, it has that kam kam taste, which isn't common in D24.  It was probably the best D24XO I had in many years.

 Well, the durian seller offered me whiskey which I gladly oblige.  No shot glass, so just make do with a cut out from a drink bottle.

Tuesday 21/01/2020

I'll be flying out of Singapore for my annual diving pilgrim.  I just couldnt leave without tucking into more durians and nourishing my body before the trip,l.

Bought some beer, and stout for myself, to quench my thirst... and to wash down durians.

Had 2 pieces of D24XO.

First durian had a very strong D24 taste with the kampung aleutian aroma factor.  It was bitter, smooth like butter, a bit numbing sensation like XO durian.

Second D24XO was very thick and seems to stick to the throat.  Taste was a bit milder than the first fruit, but still, it was able to convinced myself to continue eating, which is evident to how good this durian was.  

Durian seller offered me whiskey again.  Cut up another disposable bottle as my whiskey glass again.  

Oh no.... third durian.  Seldom go for  Mao Shan Wang but since it was selected for me, I'll indulge, that's after stout and whiskey.  It was pleasantly flavorful, with a slightly sweet with a bitter after taste.

I'm just soooooo pampered.

P/s : In the event this is my last post, you guys will know, never mix alcohol with durian.  Nah.... myth!


Disclaimer

I need to make a disclaimer (oh, whiskey, stout and D24XO durian didnt get me... ).  If anyone is going to emulate the 'stunt', AT OWN RISK!  Not everyone us able to manage it.

The following people should consult your physician before attempting it.  If you have:
- rich man's disease
- heart condition
- on medication
- expecting
- alive and breathing, currently...

It's seriously, not for everyone.  Well, unless, you have done your Will, have past important instruction to family members to offer you durians at your Wake.  Else, best to be ordinary. Take durian with water will do.