When I tell you where I ate my 10 best durians of the year, I’m telling you a story about me. “Best durian” are deeply personal. They’re where I was and what I was doing and what was important to me when I ate them. This post, The 10 Best Durian of 2017 is essentially […]
Red Durian Tempoyak, a Traditional Dish From Sabah (Recipe Included) | Kota Kinabatangan
The bus from Ranau dropped Jess and me off at Medan Selera, a small food court in Kota Kinabatangan on the east coast of Sabah. We were on our way to the Kinabatangan Nature Lodge, to see orangutans and elephants and all the beautiful wildlife that people come to Borneo to see. But we immediately […]
What Is Tempoyak? | Recipes
If fresh durian is said to smell like putrid flesh, overripe armpits, and fermented gym socks, can you imagine what it smells like fermented? Or what it tastes like? Fermented durian, or tempoyak, is a traditional condiment in Malaysia and Indonesia often mixed with coconut milk curries or pounded with chilies into a spicy dip. […]
Recipe: How to Make Durian Chips
Durian chips are a popular snack in Thailand, so popular that even the 7-11’s stock them on the same shelves as Lay’s Potato Chips (squid flavor, of course). The majority of durian chips are not produced in large factories, but in small corner shops of durian markets and family homes. They are considered an OTOP […]
Recipes: Durian for Breakfast
Durian is actually best eaten for breakfast. It’s more popularly eaten as either a dinner meal or dessert, but this has more to do with supply and transportation issues than with when it’s best to eat it. Nearly 80% of durians fall during the night, meaning that most varieties (not all!) are ripened to perfection […]
Durian Roti
Roti is an unleavened flat bread made of wheat that originated on the Indian Subcontinent. It looks and tastes a lot like a very thin white flour tortilla. Roti has since spread to countries with large Indian populations, like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia, where its meaning has changed slightly. Roti in Malaysia […]
Durian Donuts
We thought we were crazy to travel the world for durian. Some people travel for donuts. I’m not kidding, Homer Simpson has a real life best friend in Larissa and Michael of www.changesinlongitude.com. These guys have tried almost every kind of donut there is, including a charcoal filled donut that they describe as “truly nasty.” […]
Durian Pastillas
Evaporated milk is all the rage in the Philippines. It’s the favored sweetener, and poured atop most desserts from halo-halo to the morning serving of tahu. Pastillas, or candied milk, may be the epitome of the Filipino penchant for sweetened milk. It’s essentially milk mixed with sugar and flavorings and boiled to form a thick caramel, […]
Sau Rieng Chien Gion (Crispy Fried Durian)
Walking around Vietnam, I would sometimes see a sign for Sau Rieng Chien Gion. I knew it had something to do with durian, because I recognized the Sau Rieng part. But I had no idea what the other part meant, and no way to ask. I eventually just looked it up on google. It’s funny, […]
