DURIAN LUNCH

It is one of those humid evenings that hub sent home a large gunnysack full of thorns and drove Henry into a excited, frenzy fit (no, he's not the dog but our 5 year old charming). So insistent is he to devour the custard-like contents that he dragged that heavy sack from the front of the living room all the way into the kitchen !
Confronted by his dare devil action of throwing one small fruit out which rolled to one corner of the kitchen, garnered by incessant whines and and begging, I knew this is one task I would have to carry out without his dad now. Although this is not my first time ripping open the King of fruits, I've never fully assured myself of absolute confidence at the trial. Almost mission impossible.

However it is not as trying as it seems to be. All it takes is sharp assesment and strong hands. ( Don't forget that rag unless, of course you're Ben 10 Four Arms)

TOOLS OF THE TRADE


1) A sharp knife. I prefer a cleaver although one my friend claimed she can do it effortlessly with a screwdriver. I wonder.....

2) A piece of rag

3) Newspapers to line the surface ( sharp thorns can scratch your precious wooden or marble floorings. Also to prevent the sticky flesh from messing the floor/table)

TECHNIQUE

1) Turn the fruit to the bottom area to spot faint, brownish lines of a 5-pointed star. These are the sutures of the fruit or the lines that separate the different segments of the durian. Follow these lines for a stress-free durian spliting session !


2) As the picture above, carefully place the knife in the middle of the 'star'. In the event where you have an irregular fruit or the lines are not visible , try and area where it is most likely the center of the fruit ( all the best in figuring it out).

3) Hold the durian with one hand using the rag/cloth as a buffer to protect your hand from the thorns. Position the knife above the center and sink it in. When the knife has penetrated about 2 inches, twist it left and right until the segments open up.

4) When you see the gap, pry the segments apart. If you can't stand the pricks, continue to use the cloth to prevent any nasty scratches.

One piece of good advice : It was a sentence written 'as a matter of factly' by a blogger on 'Opening Durian' that I found rather amusing but after having seived through the truth , this can be a life saver, just in case you're not from this part of the world and has never eaten one before.

JUST EAT THE FLESH OF THE DURIAN AND DISCARD THE SEEDS.


Henry ate up his share like a puppy with sausages. See the big gunny sack (right)filled with durians that he lugged into the kitchen.

Hub always make us drink cold water from the cavity of the segments. It is an old wives tale that the drink can cool the 'heatiness' from the consuming the fruit. What diagnosis is 'heatiness' ? The Chinese would say it's anything ranging from sore throat to indigestion. Ironic. Perhaps it could be the enzymes from the inner frame of the hull that can supposedly work some magic.


The Aftermath

After the satisfying episode, everybody retired to bed for a very lazy, afternoon nap. Everybody that is, except mua, who worked as a 'hull collecter' till the floor is declared safe from any last piece of thorn that could potentially send any child screaming like there's no tomorrow...

Ref :

http://southeastasianfood.about.com/od/malaysianfruits/ss/ChooseOpDurian.htm
This is a must read. I've gone through a few blogs and websites before deciding that this Asian one is realiable and its step by step pictorial guides are well written with associated topics ranging from Choosing a Durian to Common Imperfections of the Durian.

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/ingredients-fruit/how-to-open-a-durian-fruit-044038
This was top on the googled list so I curiously clicked on it. Written by a Mat Salleh (white), it quoted what one of them wrote the durian to be : ' its odour being best described as pig-shit, turpentine, onions and garnished with a gym sock.'

Probably the odour that matured, European cheese is to Asians.
One man's delight is another man's poison. Again the step by step pictorial is a most wonderful guide.

However 'chopping' the durian like he did is not what most wise,skilled opener of durians would do...