The 2014 main durian season has arrived, and of course I am very happy. In 2013 I succeeded in featuring many species of durian (especially the more common species), that can be found in Singapore. For 2014, I will most likely be focusing my attention on durians that come and go very fast, but are certainly worth tracking down. For my first durian post of 2014, I return back to Ah Seng (the undisputed king of durian sellers) to see what rare offerings he had throughout June-July 2014.
Ah Seng DurianLocation: Blk 20 Ghim Moh Market, #01-197
Contact: 94656160 I've spent years looking for it, and finally I managed to get my hands on
Ai Ching Guo durian. Last year, ai ching guo was a durian that I was determined to find, but this little durian can be quite elusive. The crop for ai ching guo is very low - Only a few durian stalls stock it, and if they do, its only a few pieces which don't tend to last more than a few days. The shape of this durian is petite, with an abnormal lumpy outer shell.
The name
Ai Ching Guo爱情果 literally means 'love fruit', and one can see that when chopped the shape of the husk does somewhat resemble a heart shape. This durian is big seeded and has a smooth, yet slightly powdery flesh texture. The overall taste is milky and mild, and might be a suitable 'introductory' durian, for those who are not ready for more intense durian flavours. Not a durian that I would eat again though.
Price: $7.00/kg. 6/10Another rare species that Ah Seng was gleefully stocking when I visited was a durian named
Batu. This durian was coming from Batu Pahat, in Johor and is available for only a few weeks. The durian itself is unusually long, almost like a rugby ball.
Out of all the durians I consumed from Ah Seng during the beginning of the main season,
Batu was certainly my favourite. This is an
intensely bitter durian. I can only think of
tawa durian as a possible contender, who might be able to usurp batu as the king of bitter durians. Batu, unlike tawa, is a large seeded durian, and has a pale yellow colour. I absolutely loved the bitter alcoholic buzzing aftertaste, which this durian has in abundance. Not only did it have great bitterness, but it also had other layers of flavour, unlike
XO, which is a bitter durian with quite one dimensional layers of flavour. Overall batu is a top notch durian, which definitely should be sought after when in season - You will only have a few weeks!
Price: $7.00/kg. 8/10Kim Zhu is another durian I have previously never heard of before this season. This durian has a long season, and can be around for 4-6 weeks, starting in late-June usually. This durian is one of the smallest you are likely to find. The biggest kim zhu will still only weigh around 700 grams. Although it is small, the inside is
packed with flesh, making it probably one of the best value for money durians around. Kim zhu has a delicate flavour, which supposedly has an aftertaste of pomelo (I couldn't detect it myself though).
Price: $7.00/kg. 6/10Black Thorn in Singapore? For those who know Malaysian durians very well, you will know that the black thorn (otherwise known as 'orh chi') is one of the most synonymous durians from Penang. So how did black thorn get to Singapore? Well, apparently many years ago Pahang, Johor plantations took black thorn seeds from Penang and started planting them in Johor (similarly to how Muar plantations started growing red prawn from Penang seeds). The black thorn flesh is more orange, and the seeds are quite large. The flavour is an intense mixture of bitter and sweet, with a slightly fruity finish.
Price: $10.00/kg. 7/10
Conclusion - It has been an interesting beginning season so far, but I must say the quality of the durians has not been good so far. I am hoping that things will pick up towards August and September, when the season will be ending.
