29 seeds from 2 Durian Kampung

Durian prices have not dropped so drastically in Penang .

We wanted to eat some more expensive varieties but unfortunately , the seller only had Durian Kampung left , thus there really wasn't much choice as I do not fancy the Ang Hea species which he was trying to get me to purchase , either .

In the end , I picked 2 out of the pile which turned out to contain 29 seeds in total !
So many seeds were contained inside these two fruits , it felt as if I was witness to a conjuring magic trick !

July 2018 durian prices in Penang

From what I understand , depending on which state you go to on the mainland , the prices of durians are much cheaper than what you will see in the picture below .

Kapili , Xiao Hong and Green Skin durians - Balik Pulau trio

Kapili , Xiao Hong and Green Skin are durian species that are not too expensive , sometimes worlds apart in taste , to tease out that durian connoisseur in you .

The island is in the midst of a bumper harvest and prices have reduced a little , but I never take my chances nowadays , so I only trust this little secret place now .

Howeverrrrr , if you want to know the exact location from me , move along and don't waste your time because my lips are sealed .

Anyway , yesterday was when we delighted in savouring the trio of different species which I shall attempt to describe the taste and texture to you , best as I can .

1. Kapili 

10 ringgit a kilo durians - pass or not ?

By the time we noticed this mobile vendor , this was all that was left .

" Durian kampung " said the seller 

" Satu kilo , sepuluh ringgit "

I guess it was the crowd mentality , we see people grabbing , we also followed suit .

Verdict : you get what you pay for .

We took 2 durians . One was ok , the other was um .....I think they're from Thailand ? 

But for those who have been lusting after durians for so long , the price was a godsend and the man finished selling all in no time at all .

I have to say that this is NOT durian kampung , these are either clones or very young trees that just began to fruit . Let me repeat again that you get what you pay for , unless you're making tempoyak ikan patin or some dessert , then it doesn't really matter if the durian is top notch or not .

D600 - characteristic hint of sour

I used to just take durians for granted . We could get them so cheap last time , it was possible to enjoy a whole small durian for just 5 ringgit , before investors from China came in and bought acres after acres of our durian farmlands .

Today , the cheapest price we can get for less popular Penang cloned durian species starts from 30 ringgit per kilo . Durian kampung costs 15 ringgit per kilo. So pathetic !

Which is sad , because poorer folks or those with heavy financial burdens , simply cannot afford them anymore . 

D101 durians - fruits as bright as turmeric

These durians are not from Penang but you would never be able to tell .

Located some 40 km away from Penang island , these durians are called D101 aka Bangkok T16 . 

Almost bright turmeric in colour , it is peanut butter thick and sticky when just fallen from the tree , with a taste that is a cross between ice cream and a cup of coffee , very lemak ( fatty ) , sweet and lightly gassy , I swear if I weren't suddenly craving for durians , this bunch smelt as if the garbage truck had just driven by , no wonder some people can't seem to get over that bit .

That's ok ....less men more share . 

Heh heh heh 

Whopper of a Black Pearl durian

It's a wet night in Georgetown . Cold , dank and dreary .

Perfect weather for consuming heaty foods .

We polish off the Guinness Stout beef with leeks I personally whipped up in the slow cooker earlier ,before we head out ,in search of some durians to cap off the simple meal .

15 , 20 , 30 - any real Penang durian left ?

Durian season in the northern region has officially ended 2 weeks back . 

Somehow , the fruit hawkers here are still pretending like whatever they are selling is all from Penang .

There are still the odd harvests from this farm and that , but to claim that  all the thorny fruits are from Penang island , now , that's an outright lie .

However most tourists , in particular , those flying in here from mainland China on group tours  , being unable to tell the difference as well as being very hard pressed for time , have been responsible for snapping up every durian in sight ! Bad or good , most times they pay any amount for them and that's so stupid lemme tell you .

Green Skin and Black Pearl - Durians from Penang and Pahang in one sitting !

I did a takeaway on just one single  packet costing 20 ringgit , just to test this new trader out the other day . 

The first bite triggered something in me . I remembered having eaten it as a child , the taste was all at once , grassy , nurturing , comforting ,  lightly gassy midway , with a potent climax at the last bit , and so we returned again for more .

Durians bad enough to warrant a kill

Penangites are super proud of the local hill grown durians . But with the proliferation of conmen , crook sellers growing by the numbers each day , it was just a matter of time before someone got mad enough to actually go and attack one of these " nga nga chat chat " cheat sellers .

Happened in Machang Bubok on the mainland . Seller took a knife to the chest and died .

Drinking salt water from a D11 durian husk

We waited till today to get our fill.

4 numbers of the durian strain called D11 .

That's eleven , not two. 

What we got today was so divinely sticky , thick and rich , nothing else matters .

A Siamese durian called The Crocodile's Egg

Found this durian in a pile beside the trunk road , sold by a trio of very weather beaten but very healthy looking old men. The flesh is like being assailed by Jackfruit shrapnel, then brushed by a tangy seductively swathe of fibrous artichoke,  dipped in a creamy corn treacle.

Cini Gado - Thai durians

I never buy Thai durians. 

Those that are brought in here are so utterly tasteless it isn't even worth parting 2 ringgit for no matter how large they may be. Part of the problem is because the fruit is cut from the tree instead of allowing it to drop on its own . Add to that , the chemical soak to hasten the ripening process. Ugh. No way am I buying any. 

Early Penang durians - April 2015

Ah the thorny fruits hung up for sale are beginning to grow in numbers day by day. From a few miserable ones to this much now . Soon , the new season will be in full swing and I think we have been eyeing the stalls long enough to launch into a small but expensive indulgence today. Look at the guy pose as if those were trophies behind him.

It's been drizzling, the weather is damp and cold,

, perfect , let's eat.

Beginning of the Penang durian season

The school holidays are coming right around the corner and if you don't know already, that signals the beginning of the Penang Durian Festival ( 1st June - 31st July ) .

So, if you haven't booked your tickets here yet, you better start doing so, because this week itself,the thorny balls have started rolling in.

Yup, the "head" of the season. Most times if you don't know where to buy them from, the quality will not be so good yet.

Bukit Gantang - braving hauntings for a taste of durian

The trip here wasn't pre planned.

Took the old road through Bukit Gantang . So don't mix that up with the R&R on the North South highway.

The drive itself was very pleasant, very cool, with lovely kampung houses throughout, bringing me back to my early childhood days.Then, the first of the durian stalls started to pop up. As I was already stuffed to the brim, had no intention whatsoever to stop.

After the umpteenth stall , I finally spotted one of my own kind. To tell you the truth, when we see other Chinese people stopping to buy something, we also want to go see what's so good about whatever it was he was buying. 

Read : busybody

Reason :our tastebuds are pretty similar, preferences not far from each other and the general mindset is " it must be good "

So, at the next stall, manned by 2 women , I was determined to take a bite.

Her face fell, when I told her I only wanted one. I mean, people buy by the baskets and here, I'm getting just one.

" Mau yang pahit ke ? " ( you prefer the bitter tasting one ? like she knew our preference. I nodded.

Seriously....haven't had a durian as good as this in ages. These kampung species, it's the first break through the membrane that makes you remember for life.

Our conversation is as follows

Taste Better - Gurney Paragon Mall



You don't need to worry about durians being off season ever again

Just go get your fix from this kiosk called Taste Better at Paragon or Queensbay. Both outlets in Penang by the way, are doing a roaring trade. Yup, it's a hit in Penang !

The best durians outside Balik Pulau ( U )

There are vendors in town who have the privilege of reserving some of the best trees from the area, to their customers convenience, and this is the one, you have to look out for.

He is "expensive but good " 
gushed an old achim who recommended this place to me.

Select your fruit, get it weighed, pay for your purchase, then sit back and enjoy the view as you dine beneath the canopy of umbrellas and trees