Durian deals in SS2

Ahmad and Aminah enjoy their durian but with sips of coconut water in between.




















A worker at Pahang Durian calculates that this 2.6kg Musang King durian costs RM91 or USD30.







Pahang Durian managing director Chong Yeow Choy holds up a paper cutting from China Press to show how much Malaysian durian costs in Shanghai restaurants.

















This is what the thorny durian looks like inside. The flesh is very creamy.











Picking the right durian is a serious
activity.












The banner at this durian stall reads "Eat until you are full for RM10."












The range of durian varieties displayed on a board at a stall.





















The yellower the flesh of the durian, the more tasty it is, claim durian connoiseurs.











By NK Sidhu

D24, Rajah Kunyit, Udang Merah – these names sound strange to most Malaysians but not to durian connoisseurs. The durian is often dubbed the king of fruits, based on its great popularity. It could also be due to its price; the most expensive variety, the Musang King, currently costs USD12 per kilo.

However, one can still get all-you-can-eat offers starting from USD5 in several places including the “durian mile” in SS2, Petaling Jaya where several open-air stalls have sprouted.

The higher price is sometimes due to seasonal weather and a bad crop. A bigger threat looms though as Malaysian durians have gone global. In April Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao formally agreed to allow the entry of Malaysian durians into mainland China. Macau’s gambling king Stanley Ho and Hong Kong’s Li Ka-Shing are said to be huge fans too.

This mass export certainly poses a threat to durian loving-Malaysians as prices are expected to go up while the best varieties will be exported. Managing director of Pahang Durian Cheong Yeow Choy held up a China Press article dated Sept 23 to prove his point. It said that frozen durian from Malaysia is being sold at astronomical sums in two restaurants in China and cited the Musang King variety which sells from between RM95 to RM120 for 500gm in Shanghai restaurants.

Malaysia, according to Fama (Federal Agriculture Marketing Authority), produces about 300,000 metric tons of durians a year, mainly for domestic consumption. Cheong gets his supply of the fruit from Sungai Klau, Raub, in the state of Pahang, about a four-hour drive from here. He said the fruit is transported daily to his stall.

Durian is not plucked from a tree, he explains. “When ripe it falls to the ground. And the fruit only lasts for a couple of days. Beyond that it does not taste good anymore,” he explained in Malay.

Curious, I asked him what happens to the unsold fruit. He told me that old durian is sold at a morning market the next day at 50% off.

Over at www.ss2durian.com, a Chinese couple were tucking in to multiple durians under the all-you-can-eat offer which is good value for money.

“You can try the different types of durian here as each variety is unique, some are more bitter, others are sweeter. And if you are not happy with the fruit, the stall will replace it,” said the man who did not want to be named. The couple paid USD7 each but the price changes daily.

Over at another stall, Aminah and Ahmad had to pay USD5 for just one durian. "The price is quite high compared to the all you can eat offer but I did not want to overeat and fall sick later,'' said Aminah. A fresh coconut was on the table and they took sips while eating the durian. The heatiness of the durian is said to be balanced by the coolness of the coconut. However, Aminah admits she prefers Kiwi fruit to durian.