The Indonesian maid who used to work for my parents was amazed at how we used to eat everything – including durians that have not ripened yet…
She said that they would buy the fruit in bulk and those that were not ripe, they would just throw away. She said that she did not know they could be eaten…and she certainly would do the same once she got back home.
To cook durian mantak as we would call it here, meaning unripe durian, the traditional kampung (village) way, you would need these ingredients…
– a bit of belacan (dried fermented prawn paste), a handful of ikan bilis or what we call ikan pusu here (dried anchovies) and a chili or two – depending on how hot you would want it to be. A stalk or two of serai (lemon grass) would also serve to enhance the taste…but this is optional.
Paku or wild jungle fern is also optional…
…and if you add ikan buris, it would certainly add a whole lot of sweetness to the soup…
Ikan buris is a freshwater river fish that used to be found in the river here in abundance – a dime a dozen. I did not like it when I was young as it is very lemak (fat or oily), the same reason why I would not eat buntut ayam (Parson’s nose). But lately, I have grown to love it a lot – after all, they say fish oil is healthy and good for us. Unfortunately, it is no longer so easily available at the market and prices may go up to over RM30 a kg.
To cook the dish, you boil the belacan, ikan bilis and chili in water…and let it simmer for a while to bring out the flavours…and then you add the durian (seeds removed) and the paku…and lastly, add the fish. The fish should not be added too early for fear that it will be overcooked and will disintegrate. Add a pinch of salt, if so desired…and the dish is ready…
Ooooo…that looks absolutely great. Want some?
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
This is SO new to me. And your buntut ayam made me laugh. (I’m not saying it’s your buntut…you know what I mean)
Does this dish have the fragrance of durian? How would the durian taste like? I know unripe durians don’t taste good at all.
I’m not surprised. It’s ethnic kampung/Melanau cuisine…and now that the older folks are gone, we do not get to eat these delights very often anymore. 😦 The durian will soften when cooked and it will be like ripe durian plus the flavours of all the other ingredients. You can’t cook using ripe durian because it will be all mushy – in fact, what I got was quite ripe…so that’s why the soup was sort of “cloudy” and you do not see the pieces of durian flesh that much. It still tasted good though… Yummmm!!!! 😉
This is a dish I love to take when the durian season is on.. one of my ex colleague can cook very well and she often brought this dish to the office… she used ikan kembong, the sweet sourish gravy is very appetizing…
As for chinese, those unripe ones, they do “tong sui” (desserts) with them…
Oh? I’ve never tried that…but anyway, I’m not really a find of tong sui. I would rather use prawns for sayur rebus. Fish is good if you cook it and eat it all right away. Reheating will cause it to disintegrate…and you get all the bones in the soup. 😦
you and claire planned already ka? Both posting about durians . LOL.
Hahahahaha!!!! Itulah namanya jodoh… Hehehehehe!!!! 😉
this durian mantak dish looks interesting, have not tasted it before but im sure its good. I had once the durian cook with prawn and chili. It’s freaking awesome i tell u! 😀
Is it with tempuyak (fermented durian)? I’ve cooked that before, had a post on it as well. Very nice too – nicer than butter prawns.
Semua taruh!!! Wow first ever experience seeing a stubborn unripe durian cooked in this manner must be ho chiak. The usual would be used to make durian dol dol. Why seeds must be removed? Have you tried with the seeds together maybe it turns out to be like eating chempedak seed yum yum? Since talking on seeds have given the seeds to some cows before and they simple love them munching and sticking their tongues out while grinding and chewing, a great sight to watch. Got a friend’s dog who loves to eat durians and rambutans.
Never ate the seeds, my grandma never taught me…so dunno if it can be eaten or not. Maybe you come over to Sibu, I cook for you to try and eat…and then we can tell everybody whether it can be eaten or not. >.<
I don’t remember I had this dish before. But my uncle would stir fry unripe durian with ikan bilis, belacan and chili. Maybe that’s the dry version.
Probably…or was it tempoyak? I know people do eat it like that…
harr?! i also didnt noe dat durian that not ripe yet can be eaten! 😮 hows the taste??
Nice! Very very nice… LOL!!! 😀
How very interesting. Looks good and I would surely love to have a taste. Do any of the shops sell this dish? Or is it a homecooked thing?
Well, this one is. I don’t think you can get this in the shops. For one thing, it is very difficult to get hold of unripe durians. Most people will let it ripen and drop by itself from the tree and sell…
This is just new to me, but everything taruk then pedas pedas kaw kaw,then i am all game for it but lately too bad, nothing spicy for me,haze has gotten the worst of me, now with flu, sore throat and what not………..
have a great weekend cikgu and yes i finally met up with the fairy
These days, if you tell people you met a fairy, it may mean something very different. LOL!!! 😀 Oh dear…poor you! I thought you’re so strong, so fit…how come so sick? Take care, get well soon…
LOL… somehow, I think I scares the godfather off with my ferocious appetite for food. >..< ask me… eh, tak kenyang yet ah? *faint*
He should know…KL people – no nice food, all expensive, Muahahahaha!!!!
Which one you have grown to love a lot…the buntut ayam or the fish?..hahahaha
I know of durian mantak or mangkau (as we peranakans and it think most Malays called it)being turned into some kind of dishes (dry style though) but first time I come across a soupy dish. It’s not sourish, right as looking at the ingredients, there is no any souring agent but more to kind of manis buah(not sweet) taste? Oh how I wish I got some unripe durians right now so that I can cook and try it. I am so intrigued. And it is a healthy dish too as semua main rebus saja…like asam rebus…dumped everything in a pot and just let it boil. Nice post today,Arthur.
PS:Hubby say why can’t you just live in KL or JB or even Kuching!…hehehe and you know why? MAS is ridiculously expensive on the dates we wanted whereas other airlines timings are not as good. SIA so far is the best although we got to overnight in Spore but the tickets to Kuching from Spore is jaw dropping. To add to all the drama, we are trying to squeeze in Bangkok as well as we got to settle some stuff there!!! Will let you know on the dates when we find the best solutions.
No buntut ayam or whoever or whatever punya buntut for me! Muahahahahaha!!!! Well, get here whichever way you can – the long kiam hu is waiting for you…and I’m deep-freezing some durian mantak to cook when you are here… Yum! Yum! Nope…it’s not sour, not at all. If what you had was sour, they probably use tempoyak – not so good tempoyak is usually sour. I have tempoyak also – can cook tempoyak prawns when you’re here. Yum! Yum! Hehehehehe!!!!
Wakakakakaka… tak suka buntut kah? Too bad la… quite sedap wan leh those buntut ayam… especially if you fry it with kfc powder.
looks yummy!
It is!
Oh..I love durian by itself or made into durian dol dol. Something new when cooked like this and I don’t think I will go for it.
Not really a fan of durian as it is…unless with pulut and santan – that Thai dessert. Dodol? No, thank you…not even the very good homemade ones…much less those Tan Kim Hock dodol that people seem to like so much. Never mind, the fewer people eating the better. In the past, many people couldnoteat many things e.g. Foochows did not know how to eat belacan or midin…and look at the prices of those things now. Tsk! Tsk!
Wow. Never knew this…. hmmm .. Since I have absolutely no talent when it comes to picking durians on my own ( I need papa for this !! :p ) … perhaps I’ve found a use for those durians I keep getting fleeced on .. yummz . Thanks for sharing 🙂
Try it… I’m sure you’d love it. 😉
What does it taste like? I personally never enjoyed Mantak… So hmmm… :3
You mean you eat it like that? Eyewwww….that must have tasted horrible. But if you cook it like this, it’s a totally different story altogether.
Errm…i heart durian very much…but if you ask me to eat with rice or a dish cook with durian, ooohh…faint**
If you’re the type who will go for exotic tastes as in the case of Thai food, you’d love this… Otherwise, stick to Chinese…
You mean the durian is put into the soup? Very unique indeed. But basically its a fish soup right?
Nope. It’s vegetable soup – sayur rebus. The fish is optional. Can add prawns instead – just as nice.
Absolutely NO NO, TQ Sir !
durian NO
fish NO
have a great weekend 😀
LOL!!! To each his own… 😉
Wahh what a unique recipe! I certainly wouldn’t think of COOKING durian! And unripe durian somemore!! I want to try!! 😛
Ripe durians can’t be cooked…too mushy and messy. Can only do it with unripe ones. Nice! Give it a try!
I don’t remember I had this dish before. But my uncle would stir fry unripe durian with ikan bilis, belacan and chili. Maybe that’s the dry version.
Hey! Didn’t I reply to this comment already?
OH NO!!! I don’t like durian and belacan. I will stay far far away.
Ya…definitely not for you. LOL!!!
Hey! Long time no visit here. Been busy for whole two weeks. How are you STP? I did not know that unripened can be eaten. ^_^
Here in the Philippines, we only eat ripe durians.
I’m fine, thanks.Same in Indonesia, I guess. They throw away the unripe ones…
Yes they do throw away the unripe ones or wait for them to ripen.
Oh? Those durians that do not ripen on the trees are not so nice… That’s what they say – like the durians imported from Thailand.😦
Fish? Eyeww… no thankiu ah…I see oso takut… kasi me ikan pari ok lah. LOL. How are you Cikgu? Doing great? I just came back from Godfather punya state. LOL. He kirim salam.
You must have given him such a shock that he fell ill… Muahahahaha!!!! 😀
I love Durians alot, but I prefer mine well ripe 🙂
Ya…one man’s meat is another man’s poison, so they say. 😉 Btw, welcome…and do come again. Will link you in my blogroll.
Ikan buris looks like patin here….maybe from the same family…
Ya, some resemblance…but nicer. I do not eat patin…even though it is very popular.
But the unripened durian is sorta tasteless right?
That’s why the Malays prefer to use tempoyak.
+Ant+
Uncooked it has that “green” smell but after cooking it is soft and sweet…but not mushy like ripe durian. Very nice.
urgh, this looks totally weird to me.. as much as i don’t eat durian and hate durian, this durian soup looks quite yucky to me~~ salute!! salute you can eat everything.. :p
Usually they say Chinese eat everything that moves – I guess I’m a class above that! LOL!!!
Awesome! I love durian & I had lots of tempuyak courtesy of some housewifes I knew in the quarters. hahahaha~~
Oh??? How come all these years I never even got a whiff of the good stuff? Hint! Hint! 😦
durian can only be found in mindanao here which is the nearest to malaysia 🙂
Is that so? It must be the climate – equatorial. Probably does not grow well in the tropical monsoon climate of the northern islands…
Lol at mom2kiddos! I love durians and tomorrow I’m going to balik kampung for a durian feast! *dance in delight*
Have fun. Makan puas-puas…
This is the menu or food that I first come through at this age. I never know that it can be cooked like this. How does it taste? Taste like durians diluted with water or taste like tempoyak?
I only know that durian can make become tempoyak but not cook like this.
Well, you’re young. Even at my age, I’m still learning new things every day.
LOL i thought the first photo are hotdog buns haha
The durians? Gosh…you need new glasses. LOL!!! 😀
ooh thanks for sharing your recipe…
Welcome. Give it a try, you’d probably like it too… 😉
Patin if you get it fresh from the river is nice. But it kena ternak, not nice coz the mud smells. To get the rid of the mud smell really need some technique. Perah a bit of lime juice mix with rice water. and then rendam the patin (which had been clean buang the internal organ) for 5 minutes. and then wash again with running water. then the smell tanah tidak ada. This wat i do as well with Tilapia.
Ikan buris aka ikan Ngot Ngot (coz the sound it produce the sound when you try to get the hook out of the mouth) can go big and we can called it as Ikan Seladang in Melanau. But Buris i found out only lives in Rajang River. I do not find any where unless in Sibu.
Ya…like the worth-their-weight in gold Empurau, Semah or Tangadak – only found in the upper reaches of the Rejang – nowhere else. Don’t like patin…and not really a fan of Tapah either – just buris. LOL!!! 😉