Dr Awesome
Techsteppin'
Jackfruit/Durian springs to mind...
Cooking tips and wonderful flavour combinations
- Thread starter baboon2004
- Start date
S
simon silverdollar
Guest
ashamed to say i'd never heard of durian before, but after reading about it, it sounds wicked. love anthony burgess' description of it especially; 'like eating a raspberry blancmange in a lavatory'. anyone know where you can get it in London?
You can get it in the Chinese supermarkets on Gerrard Street. I really must buy one one day. Warning: it absolutely fucking stinks. A fruitarian guest at a friend's house once turned up with his own foodstuff for the week which was 4 durian and she made him keep them on the windowsill and this still wasn't enough to stop the front room smelly of mouldy jockstraps.
baboon2004
Darned cockwombles.
They don't even allow them on buses in SE Asia from what I've heard.
nochexxx
harco pronting
durian rocks. it's by far the weirdest fruit, outerlimits fruit! it took me 5 years living in KL before i had the courage to try it out. it's an acquired taste, creamy in taste and texture, not something you'd expect from a fruit. took me a few turns before i got into it.
baboon2004
Darned cockwombles.
Okay, I'm trying a new flavour combination a day (or thereabouts) with the aid of the Flavour Thesaurus. Today, three in fact:
Avocado with lime and blue cheese (trad maybe, but new on me). Verdict: smooth and excellent.
Apple with brie. Verdict: amazing transformation of the brie into buttery tones etc etc.
Apple with black pudding. Verdict: really good, may need more exploration though.
Avocado with lime and blue cheese (trad maybe, but new on me). Verdict: smooth and excellent.
Apple with brie. Verdict: amazing transformation of the brie into buttery tones etc etc.
Apple with black pudding. Verdict: really good, may need more exploration though.
Slothrop
Tight but Polite
Ooh, thanks for that - I did a sort of peanut / sage / onion / feta salsa type thing to go with roast butternut squash in some fajitas (hint - butternut squash was made for veggie fajitas) and it was peng.
hmg
Victory lap
Durian & Mangosteen
I once ate/drank about half a litre of Durian pulp bought from a greengrocer in plastic cup, in Bali. I managed to finish it and hold it down but was left with the sense it would taste no worse if it all came back up. Pine crossed with orange yoghurt is my recollection. A pair of fellas used to sell them outside Oriental City in Colindale.
Mangosteen - now there's another fruit. Utterly delicious but ugly. Like a clementine that's been stared at by a Gorgon. I think fortunes have been lost trying to ship them to Europe and you never see them on the shelves anywhere in the UK. Or do you?
I once ate/drank about half a litre of Durian pulp bought from a greengrocer in plastic cup, in Bali. I managed to finish it and hold it down but was left with the sense it would taste no worse if it all came back up. Pine crossed with orange yoghurt is my recollection. A pair of fellas used to sell them outside Oriental City in Colindale.
Mangosteen - now there's another fruit. Utterly delicious but ugly. Like a clementine that's been stared at by a Gorgon. I think fortunes have been lost trying to ship them to Europe and you never see them on the shelves anywhere in the UK. Or do you?
Mr. Tea
Let's Talk About Ceps
This thread really isn't selling durian to me. What's wrong with a nice ripe mango or some sliced pineapple?
Dr Awesome
Techsteppin'
Re: Durian & Mangosteen
Yeah... I Lived in KL and SE Asia for 10 years as a kid, I can't recall ever eating it but I do vividly remember smelling it and the fore-mentioned the signs everywhere.. taxis, public buildings etc etc. I'm fairly sure it's on the infamous Singaporean "banned" T shirt, in fact it might just be banned outright in Singapore.
Bizarre though because people used to buy it like crazy.
I do miss the other tropical fruits of Asia though, the Mangosteens were amazing. They stained like anything though, and they had a really short season and couldn't be shipped well.
I have eaten them in Queensland however, they weren't super fresh (you know how the husk goes darker) and subsequently the flesh wasn't as white and aromatic as it should have been.
Rambutans were another favourite. Again you can buy them in Queensland, but they're not as badass as fresh.
Trying to think what else we used to eat... Starfruit, Yellow Watermelon...
Yeah... I Lived in KL and SE Asia for 10 years as a kid, I can't recall ever eating it but I do vividly remember smelling it and the fore-mentioned the signs everywhere.. taxis, public buildings etc etc. I'm fairly sure it's on the infamous Singaporean "banned" T shirt, in fact it might just be banned outright in Singapore.
Bizarre though because people used to buy it like crazy.
I do miss the other tropical fruits of Asia though, the Mangosteens were amazing. They stained like anything though, and they had a really short season and couldn't be shipped well.
I have eaten them in Queensland however, they weren't super fresh (you know how the husk goes darker) and subsequently the flesh wasn't as white and aromatic as it should have been.
Rambutans were another favourite. Again you can buy them in Queensland, but they're not as badass as fresh.
Trying to think what else we used to eat... Starfruit, Yellow Watermelon...
baboon2004
Darned cockwombles.
Ah, peanuts are the one food I can't stand. Oh, the savage irony of life. Sounds good aside from them though.
I did avocado/bacon/black pudding salad yesterday, with olive oil/lemon dressing and on spinach/rocket/watercress salad bought from Sainsburys. It rocked.
Re Dr Awesome's post, my favourite tropical fruit is lula - had it in Colombia but not sure if it grows anywhere else? If anyone can direct me to where they might sell it in London, would be eternally grateful (have tried Colombian grocers in brixton, and they just don't seem to have it. Maybe should go to the E&C market...)
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Mr. Tea
Let's Talk About Ceps
baboon2004
Darned cockwombles.
Possibly, would have to consult the flavour dictionary!
Obv they substitute (badly in my view) peanuts for pistachios in cheap baklava, so putting pistachios in there could be another possibility
Obv they substitute (badly in my view) peanuts for pistachios in cheap baklava, so putting pistachios in there could be another possibility
mistersloane
heavy heavy monster sound
Spotted 2 Durians loitering with intent on Gerrard Street yesterday.
I'm still trying to perfect a take away plain chow mein-style cooked at home. Onions, noodles, dark and light soy, spring onions, beansprouts, sesame oil. Tried it with 5 spice, didn't work. Tried packet chow mein sauce, yuck. Added white pepper last night, nearly there, but not quite. It's probably MSG I'm missing, actually, isn't it?
Talking of packets, the Nyor Nyar brand of redang curry paste is fucking amazing if you see it anywhere :
http://www.nyornyar.com.my/about_nyornyar.php
I'm still trying to perfect a take away plain chow mein-style cooked at home. Onions, noodles, dark and light soy, spring onions, beansprouts, sesame oil. Tried it with 5 spice, didn't work. Tried packet chow mein sauce, yuck. Added white pepper last night, nearly there, but not quite. It's probably MSG I'm missing, actually, isn't it?
Talking of packets, the Nyor Nyar brand of redang curry paste is fucking amazing if you see it anywhere :
http://www.nyornyar.com.my/about_nyornyar.php
baboon2004
Darned cockwombles.
Searching for Sichuan ingredients at the moment. Haven't tried any supermarkets yet, as I would be wandering round like a completely clueless imbecile no doubt, but found this place online, that looks pretty damn cheap too:
http://shop.waiyeehong.com/food-ingredients/sauces-oils
http://shop.waiyeehong.com/food-ingredients/sauces-oils
Warning to other Dissensian foodies: Nochexxx will eat ANYTHING, I swear. He'd eat Mr. Tea's Mum, for example.
Less exotic than Durian, but is anyone else a fan of the morula? Unpleasantly phlegm-like flesh, but deliciously distinctive flavour.
Idea for a Dissensus all-stars band name: Durian Durian.