My durian adventures

‘I must say that I have never tasted anything more delicious. But not everyone can enjoy or appreciate this strange fruit for the disgusting smell that distinguishes it and that is apt to cause nausea to a weak stomach.’-  Italian explorer Giovanni Battista Cerruti.

MY friends, right now, durian lovers are smiling in Kuching. Do you know why? Well, it’s the durian season in Kuching Division.

The fruits I am talking about are not the expensive types like the Musang King, a cultivated variety of durian prized for its unusual combination of bitter and sweet flavours but the local varieties grown in Serian and Padawan.

I discovered that it was the durian season recently when my family and I came across a young man selling the local fruits in front of a shop in Tabuan Jaya. At first, we bought one for RM10 just to taste. I thought the durian was quite cheap compared to a few months back when one fruit could easily cost RM25.

The service was exceptionally good with the seller happily opening the fruits for anyone who wanted to taste the durians there and then.

When my niece shared pictures of the durians with her mum back in Bintulu, the latter asked her to bring some home. So we ended up buying an airtight plastic container to hold the durians which had been plied open.

On Christmas Day last year, I had my first taste of the D99 durians, courtesy of my adventurous nephew Ah Kiong. He had ordered the fruits from a seller who was advertising them on Facebook for RM45 per kg (including the skins).

The durians were sweet and fleshy. Even though the durians tasted nice, I thought they were a bit too expensive.  

My nephew told me the fruits were grown in Pasir Pandak, a beach-side kampung surrounded by small rolling hills, coconut groves and durian orchards.

His family and I enjoyed the durians after a sumptuous Christmas steamboat dinner at a Chinese restaurant. That night, my nephew and his wife celebrated their 13th wedding anniversary. It was also his wife’s 33rd birthday.

My next encounter with the local durians was at the temporary fruit market in Kota Sentosa on Jan 1, 2024. Traders of various races including Chinese, Iban and Bidayuh were selling piles and piles of the king of fruits there.

Customers were spoilt for choice. We could either buy a pile of durians for a certain price or buy the fruits individually. 

In the end, my son chose to buy six durians from Serian for RM50. We ate some of the fruits at my son’s house. He kept some of the fruits that had been opened in the freezer and gave me some to bring home.

At my younger sister’s request, I made some fermented durian paste or ‘tempoyak’ by adding salt to the durians. Over the phone, Ah Lan (my sister) kept on saying how lucky we were to be able to enjoy such relatively cheap durians in Kuching.

“You cannot get them for those prices in Johor Bahru,” she said.

Knowing that Ah Lan will be back in Kuching soon for a short holiday, I have been on the lookout for cheap durians. Recently, I came across some at a food stall in Stutong.

The female food stall owner told me she was helping a friend to sell the fruits which came all the way from Kampung Ta’ee, a village in Serian which is situated directly at the foot of Mount Sadong.

“Just choose the fruits you want yourself. Each costs RM5,” the friendly woman told me.

The durians were of different sizes and colours. Some were slightly green, some yellow while others were greenish yellow. Now, how do you pick and choose your durians?  

Well, according to some experts, there are five things to look out for when buying the fruits. You should smell the durians, scratch the stems, check the shape of the durians, listen to the sound of the fruits and look at their colour.

Well, I did not do all the things suggested. I just checked the shape of the durians and opted for bigger ones. I told myself if I could get a small durian for RM5 and a bigger one also for RM5, then I should choose a bigger one.

“Value for money,” commented Ah Lan when I told her that all the four durians I chose were good.  

I told her it had been a lucky day for me. I went to the coffeeshop to have iced coffee and ended up buying cheap but good durians.  

My friends, my durian adventure continued recently with a durian party at my workplace. Well, not in the office but at the car park in front of the office.

All of us who were working that evening were invited to go down to the car park to enjoy a durian treat from our chief executive officer, Datuk Dr Jeniri Amir. He had kindly paid for the local durians sold by a Suara Sarawak staff on a part-time basis.

Some of us sat on the cement walkway while others stood as we talked and laughed while savouring the durians opened by the part-time seller.

My colleagues and I really enjoyed the surprise durian party. It was a welcome break from the drudgery in the office. We will definitely remember the interesting experience for a long time to come. Like they say, great food and great company are the two life’s simplest yet great pleasures.

I’ve also found out some of my friends are buying durians by the tonnes or baskets to make ‘tempoyak’ or just keep in the fridge for later use in cakes and other types of cooking.

My friends, how long will the current durian season in Kuching last? According to one internet source, November and December are best months for durians in Kuching although some can still be found in January.

Another internet source says the peak annual durian season in Malaysia usually happens from May to August.

My advice to durian lovers in Kuching is to scout around the city and even go as far as Serian for your fruits. You should enjoy the durians while they are in season and reasonably cheap. Good luck!

The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.