Need your input! Asian Market Adventure

[zoetastic]

This Saturday, my boyfriend and I, along with another couple are going to go to the Asian market (2 of them have never been there). We're going to make a big feast that evening of things we got at the market.

I think I'd like to get a durian and maybe some young thai coconuts (I've never had either before!).

Any suggestions on:
1. how to choose the right durian?
2. do you eat the durian plain or mix it with something?
3. should I make coconut smoothies with the juice and the meat or should i add something else to it?
4. any other ideas? :)

It doesn't have to be raw cause I'm sure some other things will be.
Thanks!!!
Zoë

[blue_sky]

you should sniff the stem ends of the durian and if it stinks you're money.

also if you are going to eat it that day, you could look for some fissures (cracks) in the shell. This permits you to open it with your hands very easy and means it's totally ripe.

I have no good eating suggestions for it because i think it's yucky :)

young coco is good with the meat and juice in a blender... you could also add strawberry, pineapple, banana or something to make it extra tropical!

you should try asian pears as well if you haven't.

happpy munchin g!

[joy]

Suggestions on eating durian:
1) Find a soft couch or other comfortable seating area.
2) Crack open your durian and splay it out in front of you (get a bowl for pits and other non-edibles).
3) Get a spoon.
4) Recline on the couch, preferably with friends.
5) Dig in to the durian, taking several hours to eat it, and laughing compulsively with your newfound floaty feeling. The extended time should get you accustomed to the smell.
6) Wake up the next morning with a slight grogginess. Walk into the room in which you consumed the durian, wrinkle your nose, and comment on how the odor is truly horrid.

This is just a suggestion, but it's what happens when I eat durian....

Also look for rambutans--they look like wild, hairy, red things the size of ping-pong balls--and for mangosteen, which are the size of a small fist, and are cut open before eating. :)

[vegangelist]

about the coconut. Coconuts make yummy spice shakes. When you blend, add a little cinnamon and nutmeg and vanilla. Tasty, you could add some frozen bananas too or some nutmilk if you want it super super rich.

kristi

[DotfromOz]

NO! Don't do any such things to that lovely, innocent young coconut.

Take a knife and dig into the top to the milk. Drain it off into your nicest glass or goblet. Cut the hole large enough to get into the yummy coconut fruit with a spoon. Get a spoon. Set young coconut in a bowl or on a plate with glass/goblet nearby. Alternate a spoonful of fruit with a sip of the coconut milk.

THAT's how best to enjoy a young coconut, IMO.

Final direction: Disregard any or all of the above and do whatever the hey you want with it. It's YOUR young coconut. :::::chuckling merrily::::::

[swingbolder]

Are durians intoxicating? Where does one find them and how much do they cost?