286241 Tue Dec 28 21:12:07 -0800 1999 29 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1534338 Has anyone run across any interesting dishes using the SE Asian "fruit" -- Durian ? These look quite forbidding as they sit in Asian markets. I'd hate to have one fall on me out of a tree. I've had durian shakes, durian candies, durian pop drinks, durian filled pastries. I wonder what else can be done with this unique tasting fruit? Durian chutney? Durian pie? Durian fritters? Durian stuffed pork loin? When I first ran across durians I recall the Asian clerks almost falling down laughing when I asked about if I had to buy the whole fruit or if they would cut it in half for me. "We don't cut durian in the store!" I understand it is against the law in Singapore to eat durian in certain circumstances, like on buses. Is there a durian maven out there in Chowhound land? Tord Tue Dec 28 21:12:07 -0800 1999 0 Tord Svenson 1 1534339 "I understand it is against the law in Singapore to eat durian in certain circumstances, like on buses." And you're not allowed to bring them into certain hotel rooms, either. Tue Dec 28 21:16:45 -0800 1999 1534338 0 Sharon A 2 1534340 I wonder what a rotten durian smells like? You could probably process rotten durians and make an extract spray that would incapacitate a 500lb gorilla. Chowhounds could retaliate against bad food joints by surreptitiously anointing the place with eau d'rotten durian on the way out. Tord Tue Dec 28 23:48:09 -0800 1999 1534339 0 Tord Svenson 1 1534341 Thanks for bringing it up. I LOVE durian! I really miss having a good one here. All of them in the Asian stores look terrible, so I've never bothered to buy any. The frozen ones encased in plastic containers smell great at the first whiff, but are almost tasteless and mealy in texture. So if you want the good stuff, you gotta eat it in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore or Indonesia. The fresh durians you get over there have pretty powerful odors that permeate rooms and linger for a very long time. That is the reason you cannot bring them into buses, airplanes or hotels. When I was last home in Singapore 3 years ago, some guest in one of the rooms (at the posh Mandarin Hotel) had snuck in durians and the smell lasted about 3 to 4 days!! Now you're giving me ideas about finding a cheap air ticket to Singapore. Wed Dec 29 00:50:00 -0800 1999 1534338 0 Gary Cheong 2 1534350 Gary wrote "Thanks for bringing it up. I LOVE durian! I really miss having a good one here. All of them in the Asian stores look terrible, so I've never bothered to buy any. " -----Reply ---------- Gary and friends --- the Asian markets in Boston have huge piles of durians. They are usually a pale green and tan color. How does one judge the quality of a durian ? I found a quote from an expert --- Dr. Alfred Tan : "If you detect a faint aroma of bitter sweet butter scotch and almonds with a bouquet of wild honey and a hint of smoked oak then you have hit the jackpot and found yourself a durian with a thick, creamy, treacle like, bitter sweet tasting flesh for you to savor and enjoy." Are you supposed to smell that odor without opening the pod? Should you allow the durian to ripen on your window sill? What is "tempoyak"? How does it differ from durian? I would imagine that you had better wear steel-toed shoes to handle the pods and not pick them up by the stalk. How many Singaporean children are injured by durians in a year? What do the durian tree flowers smell like? Could they be grown in Florida? Can one take the durian seed and grow it as a house plant like we do with avocados ? Are they hybridizing durians to get pods without the spikes? I eat my durians at home by making a blender drink with condensed milk with a bit of crushed ice. You can add a little of the interesting syrups available in the Asian markets - there are many fruit flavored syrups Americans are not used to. I do the same blender durian puree and mix it with vanilla ice cream I have softened by leaving it in the refrigerator for a half-hour or so. I mix the puree with the ice cream and refreeze it. A durian sugar cone makes an unforgettable treat for friends at a July 4th cookout. ---- Gary wrote -------- It's my favourite ever since I was kid. ----Reply --------- By the way you spell "favorite" you may be a Singaporean trained in the British system ? :-). You might find it humorous that I breed prize winning Singapura cats and have appeared on shows like Regis and Kathy Lee, the Today Show, Good Morning America, Dateline, etc. with my cats. The Singapura cat is a marvelous fraud and were created in Houston Texas -brought to Singapore and re-exported as native Singapore cats. By the time the fraud was exposed (mostly by me and my friend Jerry Mayes of Atlanta, Ga. We found the import records of the original cats to Singapore. The creator of the fraud didn't even bother to change the names of the cats she imported and then exported a year later.) -- the Singapore government had spent a fortune building statues of the cats down at the harbor, creating children's books and stories about the "Singapura" and using them to promote tourism like the Koala is used in Australia. The Singapore press finally ran the story - but the scam was ignored and these supposed street cats of Singapore are now owned by the social elite -all cats being bred in America, costing a fortune and having nothing to do with the wonderful common cats of Singapore. The fact that the whole thing is a scam has resulted in extreme inbreeding of the "Houston Cats" and the remaining stock is slowly dying out since there is nothing to breed them with. Singapore society is as f'd up as America at its worst --but they do have great food :-) Tord Wed Dec 29 20:25:51 -0800 1999 1534341 0 Tord Svenson 3 1534351 The piles of durians I come across are usually brown (or tan) in color at these Asian stores. I'm no expert on durians (I just love to eat them) but I don't think a faded pale green is a sign of freshness either. Pale green is usually the color, but it should be "bright" and fresh looking. I highly doubt these durians are air-freighted here, so they must be shipped unripe on a boat for who knows how many weeks. That durian shake you make is just like what some Asian restaurants make. Still, nothing beats opening up a fresh durian and chowing down on that creamy, bittersweet flesh. Regarding your question about the durian tree -- yes, there was a place called Homestead (in Florida) that used to grow durians and lychees. Unfortunately, it was destroyed during a hurricane sometime in the early 90's. No idea if it started up again. Sorry I can't answer your other questions about durian. I can't believe you caught my spelling of "favorite". Yes, I was educated in the British system back then. However, I spell it the American way all the time (even when in school in Singapore, just to piss off my teachers). Must be all this talk of durians sending me back to the past. Wed Dec 29 21:39:19 -0800 1999 1534350 0 Gary Cheong 4 2040978 Please don't stop spelling "favourite" correctly. :) Wed Nov 22 05:59:29 -0800 2006 1534351 12135 John Manzo 3 1534356 My, how he rants and raves! I wonder if anyone bothers to read his tirades in their entirety. Thu Dec 30 07:49:25 -0800 1999 1534350 0 bj 4 1534357 The cat thing is off-topic, but I don't think Tord is raving. (But anyone who's seen 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' knows about the monkey-brain thing.) Tord, keep posting -- but you should put the cat stuff in 'Not about Food', and mention that it's REALLY off topic for a food discussion site. Thu Dec 30 08:51:24 -0800 1999 1534356 0 MU 4 1534359 Oh, give him a break. I don't think he's ranting at all. Thu Dec 30 12:12:44 -0800 1999 1534356 0 Gary Cheong 3 1534438 Regarding Singaporean children getting hurt by durians... Never heard of this happening. We hardly have any durian trees. Our durians come mainly from Malaysia and Thailand. Durian fruits usually fall in the middle of the night. One time, me and my friends sneaked into State land at Bukit Timah where we heard that there are lots of durian trees in the jungle. We went there past midnight and wandered around. Now, that's dangerous because it might fall on your head! We can hear it drop and we'd scramble towards the sound with our torchlights, together with other durian hounds (strangers to us). You can't see the people because it's so dark - only the lights of the torches. Whoever finds it gives a whoop of delight! We finally found a small one after about an hour. It was so small there was only about 5 or 6 seeds inside. But I must say the adventure and excitement made it all the more delicious. Joanna Tue Jan 18 00:49:41 -0800 2000 1534350 0 Joanna 4 1534440 Joanna -- Thanks for the posts on durian. We have a list member who grew up in Singapore and who loves this amazing fruit. It is a bit like eating tripe -- I took my son --then six years of age -- to a Boston Soul Food restaurant called "Bob the Chef's" and I ordered tripe. I got him a chicken dish. During the meal I asked him to try my tripe. When he experienced a spoonful he reacted by laughing uncontrolably. That was NOT your ordinary dinner-table response and I asked him why he was laughing. He said -- "It tastes like piss." --and so it does. Durian flesh smells like the drainage ditches in the old gone but not forgotten Singapore slums. But --when you make it yours and enter into its mysteries of scent, texture and taste -- it is truely magnificent and "The King of Fruit" as many claim. Tell us more about the wonderful food and foodstuffs of Singapore. The culture there is unique on the planet --bringing the ancient food wisdom of China, Malaysia and India together in a tropical paradise where anything is possible. Tord Tue Jan 18 05:50:20 -0800 2000 1534438 0 Tord Svenson 5 1534441 "Durian flesh smells like the drainage ditches..." Durian is a fruit you either love or hate. There's no 2 ways about it. Those who dislike it would compare it with the sewers. Those who love it... mmmm... there's no way to describe it... smells like heaven! I think I'll go get some for dinner! I just realised how lucky I am to have several stalls selling it outside my house! "Tell us more about the wonderful food and foodstuffs of Singapore. The culture there is unique on the planet -- bringing the ancient food wisdom of China, Malaysia and India together in a tropical paradise where anything is possible." I often feel grateful to be born here! I've lived here all my life and yet I'm still discovering new places to eat! Just on Sunday, I had the Laksa outside my house that people all over Singapore come to queue for! I don't fancy Laksa and was quite amused at the queues especially over the weekends. Singaporeans and their love for food! (I forgot I was one of them!) On Sunday at about 3pm, I came out to look for a late lunch and since there was no queue by then, I decided to see what the fuss was about. It was GREAT! No wonder the laksa here is known as the best in Singapore. It's hard to talk about ALL the foods and foodstuffs here. The variety is just too much. But that's what I like about it. At one meal in a hawker centre, me and my friends might eat Chinese wanton noodles and share a plate of Indian Rojak and have Malay dessert. Anyway, I'll jump in the list when I see some topics I wish to add to. Time for dinner! Bye... Joanna Tue Jan 18 07:43:27 -0800 2000 1534440 0 Joanna 6 1534446 Hello Joanna. I'd like to add my welcome to Chowhound (Jim did so earlier). It's nice to have a Singaporean posting here (I'm from S'pore too, but have been living here in NY for the past 20 years) It's too bad we didn't know about you last week. There are 2 chowhounds friends who were in S'pore over the weekend, and they would have loved to have you take them to all the fabulous hawker places. Please keep on posting about all the good stuff you find there. It will make me jealous, but I'd still like to know. Tue Jan 18 14:09:35 -0800 2000 1534441 0 Gary Cheong 7 1534452 "It's too bad we didn't know about you last week. There are 2 chowhounds friends who were in S'pore over the weekend" Thanks Gary, for the welcome. I believe it was one of your chowhound friends who got in touch with me. Don't worry, I told her everything I could think of, even that laksa place I mentioned. I enjoyed writing to her because she seemed to love food as much as I do. But there are so many things to look out for I missed out a few. Like yesterday for lunch, I went to Amoy Street and had the best Chinese Bak Chang (Rice Dumpling - with pork, chestnuts and salted egg). I thought of her and regretted that I missed this out. I'm sure she would have loved it. She was the one who gave me this website to explore. I'm really glad for that. This is a fantastic site. I could spend hours here if I had the time. "I'm from S'pore too, but have been living here in NY for the past 20 years" I love NY! I've been there practically everytime I go to the US. When I tell my friends I'm going for my vacation, they'll say "New York again?" I'm always discovering new things about it. I was just there end of Oct, early Nov. I've already started printing out places mentioned in the message board to file for my next trip! But this year, I'm thinking of taking a break and going to Holland and England instead. But after reading Jim's article on the best ribs in Jamaica, I feel like changing my plans and catching a flight to New York instead! At least now I know a Singaporean there and the next time I go, I'll have a "makan kaki"! :) Bye for now, Joanna Tue Jan 18 20:39:10 -0800 2000 1534446 0 Joanna 8 1534453 Hi Joanna -- I'm not sure who it was you were in touch with, but I don't think we are talking about the same people. Glad you are enjoying Chowhound. You can be our Singaporean correspondent. Let me know when you'll be back in NY again. Tue Jan 18 21:45:07 -0800 2000 1534452 0 Gary Cheong 9 1534457 "Hi Joanna -- I'm not sure who it was you were in touch with, but I don't think we are talking about the same people." The lady's name was Hillary. They are now on their trip to Singapore, Penang and Bangkok. It's quite an interesting time in the city now because Chinese New Year is just around the corner and everything's brightly decorated with cherry blossoms, pussy willows and hongpows. Soon we'll be eating all the goodies like pineapple tarts, love-letters, kueh bangket and bak kwa. Bye Joanna Wed Jan 19 00:46:38 -0800 2000 1534453 0 Joanna 10 1534472 Oh, Hillary! Yes, we are talking about the same couple then. I had no idea you knew her and David. I hope they had a great time with you. Wed Jan 19 23:03:29 -0800 2000 1534457 0 Gary Cheong 9 1534487 Yes, Joanna gave me some wonderful info about food in Singapore--I suggested that she check out chowhound. Am currently in Penang, escaping the mid-day sun in my hotel room while attempting to digest my breakfast/lunch. Overdid it yet again: we started with a plate of nasi lemak (rice w/ powerful coconutty scent & little pungent crunchy fish & potent chicken curry & roasted peanuts & cucumber slices & a drizzling of tamarind sauce). Then five little sticks of chicken satay w/ compressed cubes of rice and a deep bowl of rich and spicy-sweet peanut sauce (not the best satay we've had--I much prefer the kind w/ pieces of fat between the meat). Then a solid plate of char kway tiow--rice noodles lard-fried &c.-- and then a bowl of bubor (warm thick sweet coconut milk w/ red beans & little green spheres) and a bowl of silky warm fresh bean curd slices in a thin ginger & brown sugar syrup--melts tender & unctuous on the tongue and lingers w/ a burnt and barely spicy sweetness (I must eat this again before we leave for Bangkok). And for the obligatory course of petits-fours we shared an assortment of sweets made mostly from coconut and sugar and glutinous rice. Colours and shapes and consistencies varied, but my mind was still delighting in the bowl of beancurd and we were both too full to finish everything. And all this before noon, and I'm right now waiting till the sun goes down a bit so I can prowl the streets and taste everything I find. Must sign off now--the ringgits add up slowly, but they do add up.... -h Fri Jan 21 01:40:22 -0800 2000 1534453 0 hilary 10 1534491 Hi Hilary & David !! I am getting VERY jealous reading about all the stuff you are eating. Thanks for filling us in during your trip. Be happy you are warm there -- it's freezing over here. Have fun in Bangkok. Fri Jan 21 12:53:56 -0800 2000 1534487 0 Gary Cheong 8 1534460 THE RIB PLACE IS CLOSED! .but at the risk of not having you visit NYC, may I humbly recommend, by way of substitute, a trip to San Francisco (cheaper airfare!) for Flints', my current barbecue obsession? See article below: Link: http://www.chowhound.com/writing/miracle.html Wed Jan 19 01:26:31 -0800 2000 1534452 0 Jim Leff 9 1534464 "THE RIB PLACE IS CLOSED!" I know! I just finished reading to the end of the article and I was soooo disappointed! I read a printout I made in the bus this morning. I had to get off the bus before I finished reading the article. As I was walking to work, I was already thinking, I'd rent a car from JFK, eat at Mississippi Barbeque, spend a couple of days in Long Island and eat there again just before I return the car to JFK. I could "see" the food and taste the food! "...you're blown away by a huge, masterfully complex smokey crunchy taste volcano..." "chunks of bananas, yellow pudding, broken-up soggy Nilla Wafers and meringue topping all stirred together..." Gosh, I'd do anything for some of that now! Wed Jan 19 08:38:31 -0800 2000 1534460 0 Joanna 1 1534347 I had a Durian jelly donut at the Dunkin Donuts in at the Denpassar airport on Bali last summer. It was yummy. Wed Dec 29 14:48:17 -0800 1999 1534338 0 christina z 2 1534354 oooo -- I like that --durian filled jelly donuts! I'm going to make up a batch, dress in my Fu-Man-Chu costume and drop a dozen off at the local police station. Woo-ee , talk about terrorist acts! Tord Thu Dec 30 02:27:08 -0800 1999 1534347 0 Tord Svenson 3 1534355 The durian jelly donuts did not smell bad at all. Somehow they just had a hint of that heavenly durian taste. (Sorry to disappoint.) Thu Dec 30 07:47:18 -0800 1999 1534354 0 christina z 1 1534437 Hi, I'm from Singapore. It's really nice to hear people from outside this region enjoying the taste of durian. I just love the unadulterated fruit itself. Although last weekend at a party, I had fantastic durian puffs and durian cake. They are from Cairnhill Hotel. About eating durians... no one would eat durians in public (much less in a bus)- it's very messy. You have to use your fingers. The smell is very strong if it's opened. There's no rule about carrying it aboard a bus, but it would be a little embarrassing if you do. But there is a rule against carrying it aboard the MRT (subway). During the durian season, signs will go up at all stations advising against carrying the fruit. Funny thing is, I don't like the smell if it's someone else's durian. But if it is mine, it smells wonderful! Joanna Tue Jan 18 00:27:41 -0800 2000 1534338 0 Joanna 2 1534439 Joanna--are you actually in Singapore? If so, great to have another foreign correspondent! If you look on our International board, you'll find lots of discussion of chow in Singapore. Would love to have you chime in! Anyway, whether you're in Singapore or Secaucus...welcome to chowhound! ciao Tue Jan 18 00:59:07 -0800 2000 1534437 0 Jim Leff 1 2034757 Durians are the good stuff.. I love getting them in smoothies. Mon Nov 20 01:27:57 -0800 2006 1534338 54294 Hanh 1 2036481 Durians are good for you, they are high in vitamins (and smell). I have had/seen durian milkshakes, ice cream, mousse cake. I live in Canada so we seldom get fresh durian. But we always have them frozen (from Thailand), I think the frozen is fine (they come whole and frozen so you still have to deal with the armour). The fresh tastes better if you live in a place where they grow. But the ones that are shipped unripe do not compare to fresh ripe ones. Mon Nov 20 19:42:59 -0800 2006 1534338 34604 sweetie 1 2038677 Does anyone know where you can get seeds to plant durian? I have a friend who tried to germinate them to plant in Fla. without success and after traveling around an Asian market, we figured out why...in the u.s. the whole durian is frozen! TIA! Tue Nov 21 16:02:05 -0800 2006 1534338 10776 4chowpups