King of fruits

This is the name we give to durian here..


Truth be told, I am not crazy about the fruit.. I am not a durian fanatic and don't have cravings (for it).. although I prefer Malaysian durians to Thai ones, I will eat it when offered.. I won't go around town or across towns "hunting" for the best durian, unlike some of my ex-colleagues in Singapore..

Unlike most fruits, you don't pick or harvest the durian from the tree. You wait for it to drop onto the ground naturally, although some cultivated variety can be cut straight from the tree and left to ripen.. I had the experience of waiting for durians in my grandfather's orchard one night many many many years ago. It was kinda exciting as everyone was keeping their ears open for the sound of durian(s) hitting the ground.. Sometime none would drop the entire night but luckily that night, we had a couple... :) It was the freshest durian I ever had as the flesh was still warm!!

So one thing I do know is that durians taste the best when consumed immediately after you "open" them.. Although I can't really tell the difference, many of my durian fanatic ex-colleagues stand by this.. maybe that is why you see lots of professionals, in suits and ties, enjoying durians at stalls in Sims Avenue and Geylang Road in Singapore whenever the king comes to town..

So how do you "open" a durian? Let me show you.

Things that you would need is some newspapers (easy to clean up later), a rag (to hold onto the durian) and a cleaver (to pry open the thorny fruit)..

First hold the fruit (with the rag) and take a close look at the "butt" (aka the side without the stem). There should be natural "seams" which is where you should put your cleaver through. You don't just hack at the fruit nor anyhow make deep cuts.. nor try to step on it (wearing shoes of course) like what some bloggers had suggested..

Once you found the seams, use the edge of your cleaver and pry it open..

Then you use your fingers to pry it open further.. until you get to the flesh.. like this.. :) One tip: you can use the cleaver to cut along the seams to help your prying..

To "open" the hidden sides, place your palms on each side of the husk (on the side of the butt, not the stem) and press downward using your body weight.

It's not that difficult, isn't it? :)

Of course, you can get the durian seller to do it for you, but where is the fun in that??? :)