Kampong durian

With durian season in full swing, friends have been buzzing about a vendor selling the fruit at the Kampong Baru market near my home. It's all nameless kampong durian, by the way, but they say the flavours are excellent. I was warned not to haggle with the seller, or he wouldn't sell to me. Maybe it's a marketing ploy because it just makes people more eager to buy from him. 

Yesterday, I went to the market and saw a big crowd milling around the man. He had three or four baskets and boxes, and people were eagerly picking out whatever durian they wanted. 

I joined in and picked four average-sized ones, making sure there weren't any tell-tale worm holes in the fruit. They cost me RM24, and the seller threw in an extra fruit at no extra charge. I walked away happy with five fruits for just RM24. A steal, I thought, considering that named orchard varieties would have cost over RM100.

However, when I opened them at home, I wasn't completely satisfied. Despite being so careful with my selection, several segments were still found infested with worm trails, and one even had a dead worm half-protruding from the pulp. Despite this, I still had a big plateful of durian, enough for the whole household to enjoy. 

My favourite way to feast on durian is to mix the pulp with rice. So here, I removed the pulp from five or six seeds, added a teaspoon of sugar, a touch of salt to taste, and water. I mixed everything into a gooey mess. The sight of it might turn some people off, but it's my ultimate way to enjoy durian. It's even better if santan, or coconut milk, is used in place of water.