Durian fans now have a hassle-free way of getting fresh durians delivered directly from the plantation to their doorstep. It's fast too. You can get your durians in two hours upon ordering.
Brand new venture DurianDelivery.com.sg has its own plantation in Malaysia, so it is able to ship them in fresh and control the quality. They carry the popular varieties like Mao Shan Wang, Red Prawn, and D24. The durians are no more than 6-12 hours old and are transported in air-conditioned vehicles. You can read more about their process (they seem quite dedicated!).
Most people would prefer to choose their own durians. But we also hear horror stories of dishonest durian sellers. So we sometimes aren't able to pick out the best ones at the stall. Then again, it is also a matter of trust when it comes to allowing an online vendor to pick out the best for you.
I'm no durian connoisseur. In fact, I'm one of the rare ones who sit on the fence - I neither love nor hate durians - so while I'll happily eat them, I don't crave them or go out of my way to get them. I also have family who abhor durian, so it's not something we bring home often. That makes me not terribly experienced at choosing durians. Go durian stall sure kena chop cialat cialat.
So if there is a reliable durian seller doing delivery, that's a bonus for me.
Jonah the founder sent me three packs to try.
Hand-Picked Royal Old Tree MSW Durian (TSW) S$32.90
Plucked from only the oldest, most premium trees, these look really ripe and have a beautiful aroma. The flavour is decidedly rich and complex, with a hint of bittersweet. This is probably my favourite of the lot.
Mao Shan Wang (MSW) S$29.90
The Musang King is one of the most popular. It's definitely bittersweet and heady. While it's rich, it somehow is just a notch below the TSW. This one was also a little softer and more squishy or "watery".
The XO D24 (S$21.90) is incredibly creamy with a strong alcohol-like aftertaste. Some say watery flesh is better for XO durians, as this means they would have had a longer fermentation time in the shell. If you love stiff drinks, that would be true. This was a little too strong for me and my kids didn't take to this one as well.
This certainly was a lot of durian. I had enough leftover that I decided to whip up a durian pengat.
Durian Pengat Recipe
Here's what I used. It's so easy it's hardly a recipe. You also don't need to follow it closely as you should really adjust the ingredients depending on the durian type you use, and according to your taste preference (e.g. how sweet or creamy).
INGREDIENTS
- Flesh from about two durians
- One disc-like block of gula melaka (approximately 50g), shaved
- 250ml coconut cream
- Generous pinch of salt
METHOD
- Mix all ingredients together until well-blended. Adjust to taste.
- Chill and serve.
Damn shiok. I had a good tub of it lasting me a while in the fridge. I set aside some to see how long it would last and the durian still tasted good even after a week. But honestly, the bigger challenge is to not finish the whole thing in one go. So delicious, this thing is!
