No matter how bad a durian smells, nothing can beat its creamy, sweet and earthy taste. But after devouring all the flesh, what to do with the seeds? Can durian seeds be eaten? If you want to know the answer, keep reading below!
Durian is known as the king of all fruits, still many people stop themselves from tasting it due to its strong smell which is often compared to all the gross things like vomit, dirty socks and so on.
However, to a local South Asian, this fruit is like a prized exotic dessert. People usually enjoy the custardy flesh of this spiky fruit and throw the leftover seeds in the bin.
Today we’re going to find out if durian seeds are edible, and what you can do with them.
Are durian seeds edible ?
Durian seeds are edible, and they are a large part of the durian fruit. Durian seeds must be cooked before eating, do not eat them raw.
The reason you need to cook durian seeds is that they contain cyclopropene fatty acids, which are unsafe for humans. There are several methods of cooking and eating durian seeds, and we’ll explore those today.
What do durian seeds look like?
Durian seeds are covered with delicious creamy meat. After you eat the flesh away, you will see some heart or round shaped seeds of either yellow to slightly brown color.
Depending upon the size of the fruit, you can find 5-8 seeds in a medium-sized durian. These seeds are said to be very delicious and nutritious as well. However, they can’t be eaten raw because there are certain toxic substances that are present in the raw seeds.
These toxic substances are suspected to cause cancerous disease in future. Hence, it is advised, eat the seeds only after cooking them.
Durian seeds may look a little like elongated chestnuts, and cook very similarly.
What do durian seeds taste like?
If you’ve tasted jackfruit seeds, then know that durian seeds taste very close to them. People say that these seeds taste pretty bland and starchy, so you may want to add some seasoning to them.
These seeds are very starchy, and for that reason the powder of durian seeds is used to replace flour in several dishes.
Moreover, because of their simple taste durian seeds can also be made into durian chips. Much like potato chips, they’re meant to be a snack and can be seasoned with anything.
Read also: Why Is Durian So Expensive ?
Are durian seeds poisonous?
While it’s true that durian seeds are very tasty and healthy, they can be actually poisonous in the raw form. This is because the uncooked seeds contain a substance known as cyclopropene fatty acid, which is known to cause deadly cancerous diseases.
But when the seeds are cooked, this toxic substance gets eliminated and the seeds become perfectly edible.
So unless you’re eating raw durian seeds, you’re fine. And eating raw durian seeds is difficult, because they’re pretty hard, so not easy to bite into.
How to eat durian seeds?
Now, comes the most important section, how do you eat the durian seeds?
You’ll be happy to know that the durian seeds can be eaten in three ways: roasted, boiled and fried. You can either enjoy the cooked seeds on their own, or use them to enhance other dishes such as ice-creams, puddings etc.
This can be done mostly for texture, since durian seeds aren’t very flavorful but have a high amount of starch which makes them a great thickening agent.
1. Boiled durian seeds
You can boil and roast the seeds in the same way you do with other veggies and food items. Boiled seeds go well with the salads and taste amazing when you sprinkle a little salt, pepper and lemon juice over them.
Keep in mind that they are very starchy, so when you toss the salad they will give everything a coating of starch that will thicken whatever dressing you’re using.
This may be good or bad, depending on what you’re looking for.
On the same note, you can try mashing very well boiled durian seeds, or using a blender if you need more force. They’re great to thicken a sauce or curry or even to use as an interesting twist on hummus.
2. Roasted durian seeds
The same goes with the roasted seeds. The roasted seeds become very crunchy and delicious, you can even use them in your ice-cream to give an extra bite to it. this is especially useful if you’re allergic to the most common nuts used in desserts, like peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds, and such.
If you like you can drizzle melted butter and salt and some chili flakes on roasted durian seeds to turn them into a campfire snack.
Or, they can simply be used as a garnish to an actual grilled meal.
Read Also:How To Tell If Durian Is Rotten
3. Fried durian chips
Finally, the most favorite way of eating durian seeds is durian seeds chips. These chips taste very similar to our potato chips. Here is a quick recipe of fried durian chips.
All you need to have are a lot of durian seeds, some butter /oil to fry and some basic seasonings like salt, pepper etc.
To make the fried durian seeds, collect the seeds after eating the flesh and wash them properly. Now, dry roast them in a heavy bottom wok until they become nice and black.
Next, peel the outer burnt shell of the roasted seeds to get the white part. Slice the white part and boil it until it becomes nice and soft. Dry them slightly and fry them till they turn crisp and golden brown. Take them out and season with some salt and pepper.
And voila! Your crispy and lip-smacking durian seed chips are ready to eat. You can have them as it is or pair them with nice and creamy durian ice-cream for the best experience.
So, next time when you eat durian, don’t throw the seeds away. There are so many delicious ways to eat them.
