Durian Confusion

I keep hearing about durian, so I looked it up online and found pictures of this spiny fruit with orange looking stuff inside. I went to my natural food market and found durian, but it was this thick long white thing that looked more like a root. Bought it anyways, then later, at Publix, I saw what they listed as “Radish Durian”, which looked like my white root, but it was more pliable and rubbery. What is the durian you guys speak of in your recipes on this site, and what am I to be looking for? What to do with this white root thingy I have now??

Comments

  • Hi rawrach. The Durian that is mentioned often on this website is the large green round spiny fruit that you can purchase fresh in many Asian markets. You can also buy the frozen pulp of Durian. The inside is white/beige and very creamy like custard. To me, it tastes like a combination of vanilla custard,mango, and a small touch of green spring onion….which may sound gross but it is delicious and decadent!!! Hopefully, whatever you did buy was not that pricey and you can throw it out.

  • jenny2052jenny2052 Raw Newbie

    Hi Rawrach: it sounds like what you saw/bought was Daikon Radish. (When they get old, which they often do in stores in areas where they aren’t eaten a lot, they are softer and kind of rubbery like you described—but don’t buy those. Good ones should be firm and crisp.)

    Is this it?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daikon

    They’re usually sold without the leaves in stores.

    If so, no need to throw it out! It’s great! It’s crunchy and lightly spicy (milder than red radishes), and I love it grated finely in salads. Sometimes I even julienne it and use it as “pasta” noodles. It’s also very good pickled with some apple cider vinegar.

    It’s a terrifically valuable veggie, nutrition-wise—it has lots of cleansing properties. And I have to admit, as someone who doesn’t care for durian, I think you might have ended up with a bargain getting daikon instead. ;)

    I’ve never seen Durian anywhere other than asian grocery stores, so you might try looking at those if you have any in your area.

  • Thanks jenny! Yes- that is what I have, guess I mixed the names up. The one I bought at Native Sun (my natural food store) is hard, not rubbery, so I’m glad I got that one and not the one from Publix. Not what I was looking for but I always like to try new stuff, and I guess I’ll have to hit up the asian markets for durian.

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