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!  

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.

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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.


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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.

Wet Weather Dec 2019

As the decade is about to turn in less than 2 weeks, it's also a good way to end the year, with durian of course.

I heard that Pahang has been receiving rainfall for a month.  Too much water isn't a good thing.

This week, I managed to try D24, D88 and MSW.

D24 is great.  Strong tasting, good level of bitterness, texture is smooth, over all, very balance.

D88 i had previously, used to be fiberous, or a little unevenly ripen.  This D88 I had was indeed very even, even the layer on the seed came off without that crunchy kind of texture.  It was flavorful and bitter as well.  I'll give it equal standing as the D24 I had.  Unusually D24 would appeal more than D88

MSW wise, it really left me, as usual, uninterested.  It was a little bland, like the durian had too much water.  I rather not get MSW.  Cost is high thus selling price is reflective, but quality isn't up to mark.

I'll skip MSW totally if I can.

Malaysia Durian For Chinese Market

It was reported just a week ago, First Chartered Flight Leaves Sepang For China.

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2019/08/28/first-durian-chartered-flight-leaves-sepang-for-china/1784942

Does it alarm you that Malaysia is starting to legally export whole durians to China?  What is the impact on consumers in Singapore?

Many of us are aware the size of the Chinese market and if more and more of them are able to have ready access to Malaysia durians, it means the demand will only multiply by leaps and bounds.  This may even 'outstrip' supplies to Singapore, resulting in very high prices for the ever desired King of Fruits.

Pre-China Market

Traditionally, exported durians (to other countries other than Singapore) were dominated by Thailand, as they harvest the durians instead of letting it drop upon ripening.  This resulted in the durians having much longer shelf life, but less pungentness, thus Malaysia durians are much stronger in taste and smell.

However, with the huge Chinese market, the game plan will change.  Malaysia durians are starting to hit the Chinese and it will only grow exponentially.  

Many durian lovers are now concern of the supply.

Malaysia Durian Plantations

The biggest supplies comes from Pahang, given the good landscape, nutrients and planting conditions.  Penang durians are in huge demand, and they are unable to supply much out of Penang, but mostly consumed by the local (within Penang) market, thus I will leave them out of this post.

Johor supplies are high, but their durians are lower in demand compared to Pahang.  Johor's terrain are mostly flat land, thus the ground water may sometimes, be too much for durian trees.  

Durian trees needs well drained soil, which is what Pahang (hilly) provides.

Pahang Plantations

Those who have driven up to Pahang in recent years, will noticed, the hill slopes being filled, mostly with durian trees than other agricultural plants/trees.  

Some of these durian plantations are rather new, trees are younger.  As a result, supplies from the younger plantations will be lower, or the characters of durians may not have been well developed yet.  Given another 3-5 years, these trees will reach a good maturity, thereby, the produce will improve.

Don't get me wrong, these trees are mostly, not grown from seeds, but mostly grafted stems from mature trees.  It takes a mere few years for these grafted stems to mature and start flowering/producing.  A few years of flowering will help the tree to mature.  That's where I'm coming from.

East Malaysia and Borneo Plantations

Recently, I heard that thousands of arces of land in Sabah are used to cultivate durians.  Same as in Indonesia, etc.  Even novice are getting into the band wagon as they all think the Chinese market is so huge, they want a slice of the action.

Way back in the early/mid 90s, similar happened, where a lot of rubber plantation owners chopped down their trees and planted durians.  By later part of the 90s, durian were so cheap, D24 was going as low as $1/kg. 

Supplies To China

The Chinese market is able to absorb more than reported.  In fact, suppliers dare not commit to the demand, for fear of liquidated damages if they fall short.  

So, we should be really worried.  Yes, not really.

As there are a lot more plantations now than before, in 3-5 years time, the supply would likely peak, and more trees are also being planted as the days goes by.  We may face higher price, but it won't likely be out of reach of most consumers.

We should also remember, Thailand was the No 1 exporter of durians.  Would they bow out of the competition for the Chinese market?  NO!  If we think the Thai plantations will stick to their traditional durian supply, we are really naive.

Thai agriculture are way more advance.  They will also join in the supply chain of premium durians, including Mao Shan Wang.  Either they establish their own export license to China, or they may export it via Malaysia!

Supplies to Local Market and Singapore

What I am more concern of is, the quality of durians instead of supply.  Farms/suppliers will handpick those that are suitable for freezing and exporting to China.  This means, rejects will be supply to local market and Singapore.  Unless there is a bumper harvest, we are more likely to receive slightly lower quality (either less or more ripe) durians.

The less ripe ones are not necessary less ripe.  Durians selected for Chinese market are to be of a certain percentage of ripeness.  Those that are lesser or over that level, will be rejected.

The journey to Singapore takes about 8 hours.  The journey will be a little bumpy (not due to road condition, but generally, that's how transportation on lorries works), which can help ripen and soften durians a bit.  Durian sellers will also bump the durians before selling, so as to soften it further. 

In the past, the good quality durians are sent to Singapore due to the volume and stronger Sing Dollar (consumers can better afford).  Now, the game changer is coming.  

Conclusion

It is a bit far, to predict how durian supply and prices will evolve into, but given the many many plantations popping up everywhere, I am seriously not worried (else next 2 years, I better stock up 50kg of puree to last me 5-8 years).

We may not be as spoil as before, with great durians and cheaper price (esp bumper harvest) but we won't be deprived.

Chinese market may be huge, but not everyone can appreciate durians, and not everyone can afford $120 (or RMB600) per durian.  Also, export/import license to China is controlled, thus not all plantation will have the way into the Chinese market.

---------------------------------------------- add on ------------------------------

As mentioned above, Thailand will also join in the supply chain for the Malaysian variants of durian, the Thailand Trade Office had warned the industry of the competition (even though it typically mentions Hainan Province).

I would think, they will be looking into improving their durians, 'hybrid' with Malaysia's premium durians as the Malaysian durian has gain momentum with Chinese consumers.  

When Thailand succeed, and it won't take many years, the supply of the much loved stronger tasting durians will increase.  The market in China is huge, Thailand won't want to lose their market share.

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/made-in-china-durians-thailands-trade-office-warns-of-future-competition

Let's Kasap some Ice Cream Durian

After a tiring day, very hungry and tired from some laborious work, I need to reward myself with my favourite dessert after my late lunch.

I was just keeping my fingers cross for some good durian, not having anything in mind. Oh yes, I am not keen in what most so called durian lovers targeted for. I just let my favourite guy decide what I should eat. After all, just like in a good japanese restaurant, the chef is always the best person to know what's the best sashimi of the day are.

I was told, he has 2 Kasap. It was a small sized durian, likely weighing around 1kg.  I had Kasap quite recently, so today is my 2nd time having it.

The durian exterior kind of reminds me of 五字果 (5 fingers durian), but much smaller.  I really missed 五字果.  This Kasap has a slightly similar shape of a palm where all 5 fingers gathered together by the finger tips.  The bottom of the durian is pointy.

As compared to the first one I had just roughly 2 weeks ago, this one is small.

You can see the distinctive split lines like in XO.  However, the shape of both Kasap hasn't grow on me yet (except the pointy bottom and split lines) so I'm not exactly able to recognize it the next time I see it.

The thorns are firm and seems a shade of brown, but dont get me wrong, color of the hask isnt always the same for the same type of durian isnt it....

The inside. There is only 1 seed per side for this small durian I had today while the one I had the other day had mainly 2 seeds per side.  Let's just focus on what I had today.

The flesh is off white in color, with a thin membrane. So, I think there should be nets below the tree to prevent the durian from hitting ground, else the flesh will splatter or smashed inside the shell.

The texture is soft, like melting soft serve ice cream. That's how it got the other name, Ice Cream Durian.  For this texture, some people will call it watery. I dont relate the same. Some durians tends to be a bit runny soft. Such durians needs to be so soft, else it wont be as nice. I mean, it's the way how some are.

Taste. Goodness, I loved it so much! It's mainly sweet with a slight hint of bitter. Again, dont get me wrong, I'm not a fan of sweet tasting durian, but if one calls themself a durian lover, they will try any types, and identify what's so good about each variant, even if it isnt exactly the usual choice we love.

What made me love this Kasap I had. The flavour wasn't those strong punchy hit your nerve type, but a real good durian has its flavour lingering between the back of your mouth and your nostril. 

A lot of times, the MSW available in recent years lacks soul! Even if it's good, it's just good in the mouth and doesnt travel in your throat, nostril and stomach. It's lifeless durian if it doesnt run beyond the mouth.

The flavour of this Kasap is still lingering past 10 minutes after I finished eating. The after taste is a but kam kam. However, when consuming, it has a nice floral talcum powder kind of fragrance. It's really pleasant.

I will give it 8/10!

Long time back (in year 2000), I ever had a durian that I was introduced to as Ice Cream Durian. It's very different from Kasap, but that one was even better. 

The seller, Eddie (yes instill remember his name) told me dont bother about the other durians at his shop, but pointed to 6 pieces of, what he called, Ice Cream Durian.  He confidently told me, I guarantee you will come back to me again asking for this durian. I doubt him. He was right, I taunted him for awhile, but never had it again since.  I've lost touch with him, so I wont get to have that same durian again.

Generally, the texture, the thin membrane, the melting soft serve texture, which I relate to as tofu, seems to resonate with Kasap.

It's called Kasap, not Kasao or Lasap hor.

Mid Year Season 2019

Barely had durians last season... craved so much, but missed the first flowering of this season too. Oh well.... that explains why I felt listless.

Had some last week, but wasn't impressed and thought I should wait till late June. Patience isn't a friend. Ok I'm such a durian bitch.

After a tiring long day, I just need an energy boost.  Such a galore... I had 1 Tai Yuan, 1 MSW, half XO, half Red Prawn, finally Udang Hitam Rajah (King Black Prawn)

MSW isnt up to my expectation, but most would like it.

Tai Yuan was alright, but not to my expectation too.

XO glorious XO! Wooo ok I'm taking 1 whole durian, unopened, home. A good way to savor XO is, put the whole durian into the fridge and eat it the next day! That's the best way to eat a good XO durian.

Red Prawn, what's going on? Ecstasy! The richness, bitterness, a shot in the head like wasabi effect

Udang Hitam Rajah, ok I need not describe, it's the King of Red Prawn.

-------------- 23/06/2019 ------------------

I must have been so deprived since I barely had durin last season.

Today's spoils includes, Red Prawn, D13, D88, MSW, Jing Feng and a variant I've never tried before, called Kasap (spell?) or Ice Cream Durian.  I'll write a different post on it.

What stood out today was D13. Not saying the others were average, they were good too, but this D13 took the crown.

It's gotten an unusual durian pungent u like predictability. It's just so hard to describe, more than the old days kampung durian, and not the predictable graded durian.  It's got that nice kam kam taste coupled with a good level of bitterness. The kind I desired for, unpredictable.

Next time I head to the shop, I'll request for this quality again.

------------- 2 Sept 2019 -------------

The season is ending soon and the next season likely starts in November.  So those who loves Malaysia durians, do get your fix or even, stock up.

What surprised me lately was the quality of D24.  Usually, I don't favour D24 from Pahang during hot months (mid year season) as the flesh tends to be semi ripe.  Last 1 week, I was getting real decent quality D24.

The D24 I been eating in last 1 week taste much better than those I had in last 1 year.  The texture were more even, and taste were flavorful.  In fact there were a few that had smaller seed (half the usual size), which means I get more flesh.

I had 2 MSW during this period though, and it pales in comparison to D24.  So, that's how good it was.

Of cos, dont take my word for it.  The seller had opened really nice once for me.

------------------------------- Ganyao ----------------------

I tends to hear, "THAI DURIAN??  It's hard, not nice".  I actually likes it, when a lot doesn't appreciate Thai durian, that's why I get to eat good thai durian once in awhile (when I want to have it).

Over the weekend, at the shop, I noticed Thai durian (Chanee and Ganyao) and asked about it.  I was provided Ganyao on 2 occasions.

On Friday 30/08/19, the 1st one I had was alright.  The texture was almost right, a bit thicker (but not dry or overly sticky), creamy, buttery smooth.  However, the taste wasn't up to my expectation, as the flavaour didn't hit me like a boxer's KO punch.  

The 2nd one was the opposite.  The texture was just a bit on the softer side (but not runny) and everything else was good enough.  The taste was awesome, bitter, mildly sweet and very flavourful, the powdery floral scent that lingers to my nose.  If only the texture was a tiny bit thicker, it'll be PERFECT!

Saturday 31/08/19 night, the Ganyao was a more on the sweeter side, taste was about the first one I had the previous day, so nothing much to remember by.

黑虾王 Udang Hitam Rajah

With all the different new names we get, what Wang Zhong Wang (King of Kings), Black Thorn, Black Gold, etc.... REALLY???  Believe if you wish. I leave it as that. I don't buy the gimmicks.

So what is this, 黑虾王 (Udang Merah Rajah) I titled this post about?

Disclaimer : Don't believe what sellers tells or try to sell you, if they calls the durian this name. It's coined by me (27/01/2019). Till date, there is no such name, 黑虾王 Udang Hitam Rajah (or even the likes) out there.

Ok so what is this all about?

(Ok I'll try some story telling, learn from reading other people's post... a lot of websites on recipe contains some story telling on the dish they sharing)

The other day, I was just wanting to go into JB and since it's in the afternoon, I decided to pop over to a friend's stall in JB, to 'visit' him.

When I reached, just right, he was cutting a soursop and offered some to me. It was the first time I had a semi ripe sour sop (somehow, I feels like a monkey, having seen one in Pulau Weh, plucking a soursop and taking a few bites only). He likes it this way as he said, it's more crunchy, less sweet and with a light sourness to it. I told him, eat jackfruit instead. But hey, it's indeed, Refreshing.

Aiya.... I should have bought 1 whole fruit, once its fully ripen, pulp it and keep the flesh frozen, to make soursop drink. Never mind, i see if time permits this week, sneak in again and get it.

After soursop (in Hokkien, we called this fruit 'Ang Mor Liulian').... I asked him what's nice. I recognized there were the usual, Mao Shan Wang (which really isnt my cuppa durian), and Red Prawn.

This one had the bruised color, which is what sellers now calls it affectionately, Black Gold.  NO, I'm not about to copy them, but just enhanced the original name a little, and making it authentic still, thus 黑虾王 (Black Prawn King).

If you look at the durian above, the darker or uneven shades are actually bruised (blue black) color.

The texture is soft, and that's what I love of my durians, as it's definitely a sign of strong flavour.

This 黑虾王 has the expected 'kam kam' taste, but what I'm rewarded with, is the good balance of bitterness and really great flavour, plus that mild numbing effect like having that biting feeling on the tongue when you use mouth wash  just that it's mild.

This season, I had really very little durian (seeds per fruit), but this one just makes it worth all the calories and fills the void of a durian cold Turkey. It's one of the best I had in 2018 till now. If I were to take MSW right after this, it likely fades in comparison.

Hey, I had both Ang Mor Liulian, and Malaysia durian at a go! What an achievement. I'm so proud of myself suddenly. Ok never mind.