“Dad! Musang King is going to be off season soon. Let’s go eat some durians.” Calvin told me last week.
So, we flew there by helicopters with some business associates and staff members.
We gonna take some excellent durians before we await the arrival for the next season.
Musang King Durian, or known as Mao Shan Wang in Chinese, is the ultimate Malaysian speciality. The King of all fruits, the global demand for this legendary fruit is rising rapidly. There may be hundreds of cross-breed bud-grafted varieties of durians, but none can hold court like Musang King.
Musang King Durian is a small-seeded breed. Its light golden yellowish flesh is thick and buttery. Loved by durian connoisseurs for its creamy texture too. There is always a tinge of refreshing bitterness in its robust flavour. And when you take a bite on the golden flesh, it leaves a bit of stickiness in your taste bud.
Excellent! You wanna want more of the same!
The main area of cultivation is in Raub, situated in the State of Pahang. This was formerly a flourishing gold mining area. Since the gold mines were depleted, agriculture became an important part for the farmers. They have been experimenting with this new breed for more than 20 over years.
Situated in a valley between Genting Highlands and Cameron Highlands, the climatic conditions are ideal for cultivating durians. Day and night temperature have only a variation of about 10 degree Celsius. The area has not been affected by serious pollution. Neither has there been any natural calamity, like soil erosion or land-slides.
The Raub farmers came up with a winning formular for cultivating the finest of the best durians. The legend of Musang King, the King of all fruits, was born in this very place. Raub is now dubbed as the Durian Capital of Malaysia, probably the best in the world.
Our destination was Duriostayvilla / www.facebook.com/duriostayvilla/. The proprietor, Mr Ong, is a close friend of us. On a concrete bridge, he painted an H-mark landing for one of our helicopters.
Duriostayvilla is a 2.5 storey natural retreat bungalow. It’s a 16-room villa, fully equipped with modern facilities. And Mr Ong’s family serves great culinary fare too.
One can have fresh tiger prawns, soft-shell sea-crab, oysters, banana-leaf grilled fish and other superb sea-food. Or free-range spring chicken and roast duck grilled to perfection on one of their barbeque pits. If you fancy some western fare, its all in the game too. Succulent lamb chop and Wagyu beef and whatever salads you like as accomplishment.
Their local fares, nasi lemak, kueh-kueh, tong-shui and other Malaysian delights are probably one of the best in Raub, too.
When the season of durian beckons again. We are going back for more!
