CHOOSING A DURIAN
When you’re at the durian stall, there are a couple of things you should request to make sure that you’re not getting cheated and that you’re getting your money’s worth!

• Shake the durian (we recommend using a towel because those spikes can be an annoyance!) near your ear. You should be able to hear the seeds and fruits rattling inside. If you don’t hear anything, the flesh has most likely not properly separated from the skin, which means it has not fully ripened. The exception is the XO durian, which tends to have wetter flesh than other varieties.
• Smell the durian! You should be able to smell the fragrance even before the fruit is cut.
• If you want the seller to pack the durian for you, make sure to ask him to take out the seeds and flesh in front of you to pack! There have been cases of durian sellers exchanging your chosen fruit with one that is not as fresh. (Of course you won’t have this problem with YES Supermarket.)

DURIAN RECIPES

Durian Fried Rice

• 4 cups of leftover white long grained rice
• 1.5 cups of chopped vegetables
• 1/2 -1 cup of cubed tofu (or more vegetables)
• Flesh of five seeds of durian
• 2-3 tbsps vegetable oils
• 2 tbsps tamari or soy sauce 
• 1 tbsps chopped garlic
• Hot chilli pepper and ½ cup of chopped spring onion, to taste

1. Stir fry garlic and tofu until lightly browned.
2. Add vegetables and stir fry until softened. For lighter cooking, add a little water, cover the pan, and steam until soft.
3. Add rice and more oil and stir until the rice is evenly coated.
4. Add durian, tamari or soy sauce and pepper and continue cooking for another three minutes.
5. Turn off flame and mix in spring onion.

Vegetable Durian Thai Salad

• 2 cups of grated cucumber, green papaya, or green mango
• 1/2 cup grated carrot
• 3 tomatoes, sliced into quarters
• 1/3 cup fresh green beans cut into 1-inch sticks
• 1 cup of unripe durian, cut or shredded into small pieces
• 2 limes
• 1 or 2 birds eye chillies
• 1 medium clove garlic
• 2-3 tbsps of white sugar or if you can get it, palm sugar
• Salt to taste

1. Place the chillies and garlic in a mortar and pound until smashed into     a paste. If you have no mortar and pestle, chop very finely and smash on the bottom of a bowl with the back of a spoon.
2. Add the sugar and lime and mix into a paste.
3. Add the durian chunks and green bean and pound lightly to break it into smaller pieces.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients, and pound until veggies are softened and have absorbed the juice. 
5. Serve inside a hollowed out durian shell.