Durio graveolens fruit

What it is

This is Durio graveolens, a separate species from the common durian, Durio zibethinus. Red Prawn belongs to that common species. Durio graveolens comes in yellow-, orange- and red-fleshed forms; those colours belong to different forms of the fruit.

The red form called Marahang or Durian Merah has thick, mild flesh, with little sweetness. Orange and yellow forms can taste nutty and cheesy. The orange form grown in Sarawak also has a slightly bitter edge.

Where it comes from

Wild trees grow in the lowland forests of Borneo, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Thailand and the Philippine island of Palawan. People also grow them in villages across this range. In Singapore's National Orchid Garden, two large trees have borne orange fruit with bright red flesh inside.

How it's eaten where it grows

In Kinabatangan, Sabah, the red form is called Alau. Its flesh goes into Sabah tempoyak, a cooked dish. A local recipe starts by frying garlic and onion, then adding chillies and anchovies. The seedless durian flesh goes in next, followed by sugar and salt.

This version gets its character from cooked durian and seasonings. The familiar tempoyak made from common durian gets its sourness through fermentation.

How it's grown

Durio graveolens can become a forest giant, reaching 50 m (164 ft), with broad buttress roots bracing its trunk. Harvesting the red Alau form takes careful timing: the fruit starts to split while it is still attached to the tree.

Harvesters pick it just as the seams begin opening, before the flesh and seeds drop out. The orange form falls when ripe.

When and where you'll find it

Borneo’s produce markets are a place to encounter fresh Durio graveolens. It fruits at the beginning of the common-durian season. At Kota Kinabatangan market in Sabah, the red fruit also reaches the stall as tempoyak, ready to eat as a cooked side dish.