If you may recall, in my previous post under this title, I was talking about durian flowers. Well, it looks like my mother-in-law’s durian tree is flowering again, so I get to eat the flowers. The other day, “inspired’ by the midin I had at the Ruby Restaurant a couple of nights ago, I decided to make some Thai-style durian flower salad. I boiled some water and after putting in the durian flowers, I brought it back to boil and after simmering for a while, I drained away the water…
Then I pounded some pre-soaked udang kering (dried prawns) with chillies and a bit of belacan (dried prawn paste) and mixed that with the durain flowers. After that, I cut some shallots into thin slices and some chillies as well, and added all that in as well. Having done that, I cut some kalamansi/lime and squeezed the juice over everything and mixed it all thoroughly. Finally, I deep-fried some ikan bilis/pusu (anchovies) and put that in too…
It was nice – sour and spicy, fragrant from the dried prawns and the anchovies…but something was missing. I know! They usually have roasted peanuts in the Thai-style salad and I did not have any of that. Never mind! Next time I’ll just grab a tin from the shops and sprinkle some over it.
Then, yesterday, my in-laws gave us some more of the flowers, so I decided to cook something different this time. I pounded two shallots, four cloves of garlic, 1 cm ginger and 1 chilli…and I got some serai (lemon grass) and crushed the ends and some curry leaves. Then I heated up some oil in a wok and fried the pounded ingredients until golden-brown and fragrant before adding in the lemon grass and some of the curry leaves. After a while, I put in the durian flowers. Incidentally, I had also added some baby corn, so there would be enough to go round…
I added half a tablespoon of curry powder to that and after mixing it well into everything, I added water and some ikan bilis (anchovies) stock. Finally, I added a bit of evaporated milk (in place of santan/coconut milk) and let it simmer for a while for the gravy to thicken. Then it was ready to serve…
It would definitely be nicer with a bit of udang kering (dried prawns) and belacan (dried prawn paste), but I wanted to give some to my mum and those stuff would trigger off her allergy. It was still very nice though and went perfectly well with rice. Perhaps you would like to give it a try?
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
i get to see this quite often in uni’s canteen!
but didn’t know they are durian’s
i once asked da mak cik, and she said, “ini buunga” 😦
my daddy can cook as well as u 😉
Is he as fat as me too? LOL!!!…The durian flowers are quite expensive at the market. RM1 you get a handful only and when you cook, you get only a little bit. Probably the mak cik has a tree somewhere…
wowww…it has been sooo long since i last had ‘liulian hua’…
and you r such a good cook, i envy…are there anymore guys like u from where u come from?hahahaa
Got!!! I know one who can cook better than me! 30 years old, very eligible and available! Can bake too! I can’t! He has given me his cream puffs, choc cookies, etc…all very nice! Email me your photo, personal particulars and credentials… Hahahahahahahahaha!!!
I have not eaten durian flowers! Hope it tasted as good as the durian flesh itself. Haha…any durian smell from the flowers?
No, no durian smell. It’s a vegetable, crunchy in texture like paku pakis.
This is the bestest curry! Missed it so much ever since I left Kuching..
I gave some to my mum and she said it was very nice *beaming with pride and joy liao!* I also gave a bit of both to a friend. He said the salad too sour but his wife said not sour enough! As for the curry, they gave it a score of 95%! May be biased in case I will not give them anything anymore in future. LOL!!!
wah..can eat also ka the durian flower? never tasted it before….
Can! Delicious! Don’t people eat that in Sabah? Midin also you don’t have over there. Eeee….we’re next to each other bah!
emmmmmm…..i have not tried durian flowers before. didnt know it is edible. gonna try lots of stuff this weekend. but then again, can still get the flowers ar? off season oredy wor.
With the global warming, everything topsy turvy now! Can get it so many times in a year unlike long ago, only at year end…prior to durian season. Lots of durians in the market now… Must go and buy the unripe ones one of these days to cook and post! Yummy!!!
I remember our durian tree when I was at Race Course Road in Sibu. We used to put a mat right under the tree so we didn’t have to pick the flowers. Haven’t eaten them for a while. I prefer midin anytime though.
Midin has become so popular that people eat it all the time. Some sort of overkill already. Durian flowers a rare commodity, not available in Chinese restaurants…though some Malay stalls may have them. My in-laws put newspapers under the tree…and pray that it doesn’t rain.
I have not tried cooking with durian flower before but I can imagine the nice smell of durian with the spicy addition. Yummy. But, if I pluck my FIL durian flowers, I think he will hammer me lorrr!
No durian smell lah! It’s like a vegetable. And you don’t pluck them. You just collect them when they drop from the trees! Lots everytime and removing the top ends very tedious (Thankfully, my in-laws will do that before giving us the flowers. Hehehehehehe!)…and if the flowers are wet, they will be sticky like fried ladies’ fingers.
Send some over this way. I want durian flowers!!!! Must ask Tom to check the gardens.
The trees at Kumpang not flowering? I remember when my in-laws’ tree was flowering a couple of months back, they were flowering too.
I love durian flowers! Alvin’s durian tree just dropped another durian as big as my head yesterday. Yummy!
Did you get to eat the flowers? How did you cook them?…I’m not so much into durians. Just the flowers…and the pastry (Ooo…going to Mitsu again this Saturday!) and the cake.
Liu lian hwar…. ur inlaws trees a bit late ler. The one behind my house already have large fruits. I actually prefer the flower to the fruits. Wanna trade? hahah.
Theirs will flower a whole lot…but no fruits! Not that I’m complaining as I don’t really like durians anyway. 3 months ago, it flowered (the previous post) already…and now again. Gila liao the tree, but all the better for me! LOL!!!
Btw, what trees in kumpang? Only one liulian tree lar.
Only one kah? Wah! So productive lah that tree. Hahahahahahaha!!!
Your durian flowers looks yummy! Btw, I bought some wild caught gummy shark fillet from supermarket yesterday n plan to cook tomorrow,any idea ,”See-foo”(master chef) on how I can cook them, something fast n easy. Pollie’s friend last time teach me to cook salmon fillet with Thai chilli sauce,belachan n shallots, but m quite tired of that already, so if u can give me some tips that will be great.Pls comment by tonite if u can so I can have time to cook them tomorrow. Many Thanks STP!
You can cook it the same way I cooked the durian flower curry – the pounded ingredients and the lemon grass and curry leaves and curry powder. You may want to add pineapples, brinjal, ladies fingers, beancurd sticks and tofu pok…and then it will be like Sheraton fish head curry, but plus the shark and minus the fish head.
P.S.: To save yourself the trouble of preparing the ingredients, just buy a packet of A1 instant curry mix for fish curry. Just like Sheraton’s. Missus used that many times liao! Very nice! Of course, kay-liao will be nicer but not necessary.
I didn’t even know you can eat durian flowers! This is new to me. Went back to your first post on the flowers. I don’t see any restaurants selling durian flowers as a dish? But somehow I think it won’t be as nice as the durian flesh itself! IMHO : )
I guess you’re a durian lover, not me! Not available in restaurants. Such kampung cooking, you may get from some Malay stalls in the coffee shops here. No chance of getting it elsewhere, other than home-cooked.
I’m too late for the flowers, now got the fruit only. Usually Alvin’s dad stir fried the flowers with chilli, sambal udang kering, some lime, onions, etc…yummy! I love the fruit and the flower too! 😀
I guess he cooks it sambal style…like the way we cook midin or paku, or kangkong or longbeans. With cangkuk manis also nice!
my friends here gave me that ‘HARRRRR??’ face when i told them i eat durian flowers. the ones my e-e cooks super super super nice mannnn… *droooooooooool* even my ah ma’s cannot beat.
OPS. hahahaha..
Ok, KNB! Now you know where to send the durian flowers, and after cooking, you claim your share! LOL!!!
Thks a lot STP, u r a lifesaver! Got some A1 seafood curry paste sitting in my fridge for a while now, hope it is not expired,so may try that instead of the whole ‘shebang’thing that u prepared from scratch,less hassle!LOL!Lazy people like me, maklumlah!Not so perfectionist/hardworking like u. Will cook n let u know tomorrow! Thks again!Very much appreciated indeed,STP! Now tomorrow have got to go n buy ladyfingers,taukee, serai n pineapple,canned ones,fresh ones too expensive here!LOL!
Good luck! Hope it turns out nice. My missus also use canned pineapples. Sweeter.
If that tree flowers siaw siaw..sorry la..won’t be long before mati lo….it’s under stress and attemoting to reproduce itself before it tong tong chiang..believe it or not???
Never mind. After it has died, hopefully some kind soul in Kumpang will courier the durian flowers over…or send by bus! They do not wither that easily. Hahahahahahahaha!!!!
fren, my stomach went upside down whenever I read your blog. Too much food may spoil the cook, beware.. wakakaka
Hi! Long time, no see!…Don’t worry! This kampung food much healthier actually, and as for the food outside, I don’t eat all the time mah! Only when got visitors…and one coming tomorrow! Hahahahahahaha!!!
I didn’t know you can eat durian flowers???? Then again, I don’t even eat the fruit so…. but looking at the way you prepared it and the finished product, it sure looked yummerz. Err…. next time you plan on coming to KL, why don’t you bring some for me to try?
Hop on the cheap airline and come over here. Then I can cook some for you. Everyone can fly!
Yeah, everyone can fly, as long as it is not a twin otter. Haha
I’ve flown by twin otter several times! Pretty nice…but I’m a bit too big for the seats and the belt!