Showing posts with label durians. Show all posts
Showing posts with label durians. Show all posts

Yummy Durian Pancakes At Mid Valley!

Posted by : foongpc | Monday, May 13, 2013 | Published in

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I love durians!! Do you?

Billed as The King Of Fruits, durians are banned in most hotels and airplanes due to its strong smell. Which is a pity because I like both the smell and taste of a durian! Haha!

Although eating the durian fruit itself is the best way to enjoy this King Of Fruits, I do not mind eating it in other forms like in cakes, ice creams and desserts.

Read More > 101 Ways To Eat Durians

Did you know that there is this stall or kiosk in Mid Valley Megamall that sells durian pancakes? Located at the Lower Ground floor near the KFC restaurant, it sells other durian products too, but I was mainly attracted to its durian pancakes.

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The durian pancakes are made fresh on the spot.  They are sold at RM3 per piece. However, the price is slightly reduced if you order more - RM5.50 for 2 pieces and RM12.50 for 5 pieces.

Being a durian fan, I decided to order 5 pieces for myself : )

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First, the pancake skin was made.

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Then frozen durian creams were scooped up and weighed.

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The durian creams were placed on the cooked pancakes.

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Then the pancakes were folded up neatly.

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And pressed to lock in the durian fillings.

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My 5 durian pancakes were then placed in a plastic box ready to be eaten. All done in less than 5 minutes!

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I immediately took one bite. The cold, 100% pure durian fillings contrasted nicely with the hot and crispy pancake. Yummy!

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I ate 2 pancakes on the spot and took the remaining home. When I reached home, I found the pancake skin had already turned soft but it still tasted good, although eating it fresh was better.

If you dislike durians, you will not like this durian pancake. But if you love durians, you must give this a try! Now I can't wait to go Mid Valley again to get my fill of the durian pancakes! : )

101 Ways To Eat Durians

Posted by : foongpc | Friday, September 12, 2008 | Published in

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Ok, so I exaggerated!
If you know of 101 ways to eat durians, please tell me! I only know a few ways which i would like to share with durian lovers and non-durian lovers alike, in other words, everyone!
So I confessed I am a durian lover in one of my previous posts. If you dislike durians, well too bad because today, I am going to continue with my admiration for this spiky fruit! OK, OK, please don't leave, just bear with me. Who knows, you might just start to like durians?
Eating the durian fruit by itself is the best way to enjoy its taste. But do you know there are many other ways of eating durians?
Have you tried durian cakes? They are absolutely delicious!
The famous and ever popular durian cake from Secret Recipe is a must try! I especially like it when it’s taken straight out from the fridge.
For the month of September, Secret Recipe also came out with their new durian cheese cake!
Looks good, doesn't it? Honestly speaking, I haven't been to Secret Recipe for quite some time, so must give this durian cheese cake a try this week!
Just when I thought Secret Recipe had one of the best durian cakes around, I discovered an even better one at Bon Bon outside Atria Shopping Mall in Damansara Jaya. Bon Bon’s durian cake is simply to die for. The generous chunks of durian flesh in the cake melt in your mouth and taste so good I can assure you resistance of this cake is futile.

Photo from Sweets For My Sweet Tooth
If you have been to Mid Valley Megamall in KL, then you would have probably passed by this shop called Sweet Chat. They have some pretty nice desserts, and one of them is of course the durian pancake! This pancake has real durian flesh inside instead of just durian puree. Nice!

Photo from Seeds Of Life
Inside The Gardens Mall next to Mid Valley, there is a shop called Lee Lee's Sumptuous Desserts at the lower ground floor which also sell quite similar pancakes. But I have not tried it before. Just found it at A Whiff Of Lemongrass blog. This photo of the pancakes (it’s actually called durian puffs) looks good, but I’m not sure if it tastes as good.


Do you like egg tarts? If you do, why not give durian egg tarts a try? There’s a famous shop from Hong Kong in Pavilion KL called John King which sell all types of egg tarts. Do give their durian egg tart a try, though I don’t really fancy it.


Photo from Ling's blog

How about our very own Malaysian durian dodol? The most famous durian dodol is from Tan Kim Hock in Melaka. Even though it's not a favourite for me, the unique blend of durians and gula melaka makes this dodol a popular delicacy amongst Malaysians and foreign tourists.


Photo from AsianSupermarket365.com
Now with the Mooncake Festival celebration this weekend, expect to see some durian mooncakes being sold! The Star recently reported that the snowskin durian mooncake from Shangri-la Hotel KL was voted one of the top five mooncakes by the StarMetro Team. If you like mooncakes and durians, then better get this Shangri-la Durian Mooncake before they are all sold out!
I did not buy the Shangri-la mooncake because I think it will be way out of my budget. So I settled for Tai Thong's snow skin durian mooncake. It was delicious! And I bought it at 30% off the retail price so definitely no regrets! Here's the picture of the durian mooncake before I put it into my mouth!



If you like chocolates, then do you know about durian chocolates? Yes, chocolates with durian fillings! For people like me, who love both chocolates and durians, this is truly a marriage made in heaven!
Come indulge yourself in Danson durian chocolates, a fine Belgian gourmet chocolate filled with rich creamy durian puree. Each box, priced at about RM27, comes with 9 pieces of exquisitely made chocolates. Not exactly cheap but you can be assured that it contains pure durians, and not simply "durian flavoured" ingredient.



Photo from Dimsum Dolly
Furthermore, expensive gourmet chocolates like Danson has less sugar content than those cheaper ones sold in supermarkets and shops, so it's much healthier for you. And don't forget that the chocolate itself contains polyphenols which help to prevent heart diseases.
If you have ever been to Thailand, you would surely have eaten their very famous sticky rice with mango, which is actually a traditional dessert. Have you tried their sticky rice with durians? It’s real durians with glutinous rice topped up with coconut cream. Even more sinful than chocolate, let me tell you!

Photo from Kin Jay
The one I like best is found at the MBK (Mah Boon Krong) Shopping Mall in Bangkok. It’s sold by a lady at the Food Court on the 6th floor of the mall. Every time I go Bangkok, I never fail to go MBK to enjoy this sticky rice with durians! Even as I am writing this, I’m drooling at the thought of this delicious dessert!
Talking about Thailand, they also have a very famous product called Crispy Durian, which is actually durian candy snack. If you’ve never eaten this snack before, do give it a try. You’ll be surprised how delicious it is! It comes in a tin or in a packet. Look for the brand name Siam. Siam’s Crispy Durian is the best durian candy snack in Thailand.


The other time I brought back these candy snacks from Bangkok, they were finished up within 2 days! I bought 12 packets and gave 5 packets to friends. The remaining 7 packets were for me and my family and they disappeared within 2 days. Can you believe it? All my friends who tried it even asked for more.
Call me crazy, but I don't mind flying all the way to Bangkok just to enjoy both the sticky rice with durian and the Durian Crispy snack!
In Singapore, there is a shop that sells mainly desserts made from durians! It’s called The Four Seasons Durian Dessert Shop located at 51, Telok Ayer Street at China Square Food Centre. Surely it must be the one stop centre for durian lovers everywhere! Just look at the variety of desserts they sell below!

Photo from durianpalace.com
Clockwise from upper left : durian puffs, durian pudding, durian jam, durian swiss roll, durian mousse cake, durian pancake, pulut durian, durian dadar and durian crepe (centre)
Or if you happen to go shopping along the famous Orchard Road, you might want to look out for hawkers selling durian ice cream like the photo below.

Photo from monica j's flickr
Of course they sell ice cream of other flavours too, but we're talking about durians here. The ice-cream is sandwiched between two sheets of wafer. Isn't that yummylicious!
Would you like to make your own durian ice cubes? I used to make them during my childhood days. It's so simple even a child can do it. Here's how.
1. Buy some durians and open them up (this part must be done by an adult, of course)
2. Scoop out some durian flesh using a small spoon and place them inside every empty boxes or compartments in the ice cube tray. The durian flesh should fill at least half of the compartment.
3. Fill each compartment with water then stir with the small spoon.
4. Place the ice cube tray in the freezer.
5. Wait for a 3-4 hours, then take out the tray from the freezer and voila! you have your very own durian ice cubes!
I was planning to make these durian ice cubes and take some photos of them, but unfortunately, when I got home, the durians I had bought earlier were missing! Now you know everyone in my family are huge fans of this spiky fruit! Zero durians equals zero durian ice cubes! Well, maybe next time.

The King Of Fruits

Posted by : foongpc | Monday, September 8, 2008 | Published in

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Durians.
You either love them or hate them.
If someone were to ask you what smells horrible but tastes heavenly, you can bet the answer is none other than durians!
Of course not everyone will agree with this. One good example is yours truly. I love the smell of durians and I love the taste even more!
That’s why I cannot understand why some people hate the smell of durians. They said it smells like a combination of gasoline and rotting meat. How ridiculous! To me, durians smell and taste heavenly! The so-called “pungent” smell of durian only serves to make my mouth water.
It is people who hated the smell of durians that led durians to be banned from hotels and airplanes. What a shame!
Well, to the uninitiated, durians are also known as The King Of Fruits. And for good reason too. Just take a look at the fruit itself and you will know it’s not to be messed with!

Photo from paulmirocha.com
Why, durians are so popular that even Singapore built its famous Esplanade Theatre based on the fruit! Look at those spiky rooftop of the Esplanade Theatre that resembles the spikes of the durian.

Photo from JKF Travels
It is said that durians have "eyes". That means you can walk inside a durian orchard and under rows and rows of durian trees and a durian will never drop on your head.

Photo from ekawan.com
Now I'm not sure if this is true because I do not dare put this to the test. Imagine how it hurts when the deadly spiky durian drops on you! What I do know is that durians mostly drop during the night and that workers who collect the fruit always wear helmets to protect themselves.
When selecting a durian, you should always look at the stem. The stem should be big and strong, otherwise it's an old durian. Also, shake it a bit. If you can hear the seeds moving inside, that indicates the durian is no longer fresh.
Once you open up the durian (with the proper skills, of course) the fleshy fruit inside will have you drooling to no end.

Photo from gastronomicdiary
If you have not eaten durians before, you must try it! That’s because a lot of people hate the smell but love the taste. So far, only a minority hate both the smell and the taste. And I have heard of no one who love the smell but hate the taste.
So how do you eat the durians? With your hands of course! I have an English friend who actually ate it with fork and spoon! I could hardly believe it when I saw him doing that! It’s so funny I almost choked myself with the durian seed! And that reminds me – be careful when you eat durians. It’s not advisable to put the whole durian seed into the mouth or you may just accidentally choke yourself to death.
In Malaysia, a lot of people like to eat the mangosteens after eating the durians. Mangosteen is a seasonal fruit just like durians. Seasonal fruit means they are only available during certain times of the year and not 365 days a year.

Photo from stickyrice
Why mangosteen? Well, perhaps mangosteen season coincides with durian season, so these two are like marriages made in heaven. In fact, mangosteen is another very popular fruit native to Malaysia it’s a wonder why a direct selling company from USA called XanGo is selling mangosteen juice back to us Malaysians!
However, the real reason why eating mangosteen after a bout of durians is recommended is because the mangosteen has “cooling” properties that balance out the “heating” effects of eating the durians.
Its heating properties may also be the reason why pregnant women and anyone with high blood pressure are advised not to eat durians.
There is also this advice that you should not eat durians and drink alcohol at the same time. People have reported to have died from this lethal combination. Although there is no scientific proof to back this up, it is advisable not to mix the two.
One reason may be because both durians and alcohol are “heaty”. I personally doubt this combination will kill you, but if you also suffer from high blood pressure, then there’s a chance for that to happen. Perhaps you dare to give it a try and live to tell me the truth? Then I will get to debunk this “myth” once and for all!
Another popular way to take away the “heatiness” after eating durian is to pour water into the empty durian husk, add a little salt and drink the water from the husk itself!
And guess what? If you hate the durian smell that lingers on your hands, don’t even bother to wash them with detergent or soap. The smell will remain even if you wash your hands till the next day! The solution? Just pour water into the empty durian shell and wash your hands in it. The smell will disappear, as if by magic!
And now, if you will excuse me, I would like to go enjoy my durians!