‘A life without love is like a tree without fruit.’ — Stephen King, American author.
Dear friends, do you know that it is now the season for unripe green mangoes and durian flowers in Kuching?
In one village that I know of, these mangoes and durian flowers come from trees planted long ago by the people who lived there.
Although the people who first planted these mango trees and durian trees have passed on, their descendants and the other villagers are happily enjoying the fruits of their labour long ago.
My sister who lives in the village says any villager there can pick the small unripe green mangoes and durian flowers which fall from the trees. But they have to wake up early to collect the fallen fruits and flowers while they are still fresh and before they wither in the hot sun.
The philosophy of allowing any hardworking villager access to the fallen unripe mangoes and durian flowers is good. After all, sharing is caring.
My sister says sometimes, a kind old lady who lives near one of the mango trees will share with her fellow villagers the mangoes she has cut and the sambal belacan (chilli shrimp paste) she makes.
Such eating parties are common, especially during the fruit season, in many rural villages in Sarawak. While one person may supply the unripe mangoes, others will turn up at the parties with their own versions of sambal belacan.
Besides partaking in such parties in her village, my sister has been having a lot of fun looking for the unripe green mangoes and durian flowers with her friends there.
She has also been picking up green mangoes that fall on to the roads from trees in my housing estate. She complains that while many are left to rot on the road, some have been squashed by heavy vehicles.
The big smile on her face everytime she drops by my house with the mangoes and durian flowers is understandable. Normally, if we have the urge to eat these green mangoes and the durian flowers, we have to buy from the traders at the jungle markets.
Mind you, they are not cheap. We have to pay from RM5 to RM10 for a small plate of the fruits.
But the mangoes and durian flowers in my sister’s village are free as long as she can bear the mosquito attacks under the trees and withstand the long hours of squatting on the ground.
Unripe mangoes are best eaten with sambal belacan. They can be enjoyed with a meal of rice and other dishes. The mangoes can also be made into pickles or just mixed with soya sauce, sugar and chillies.
If your family owns a lot of mango trees and you have unlimited supply of unripe mangoes, you can enjoy them as snacks as well.
Although my sister has been living in the village for decades, this year is the first time she is collecting durian flowers from the trees there.
When she brought over the first batch of durian flowers, she asked me to pan fry them with belacan (shrimp paste), chillies, red onions and garlic.
She was very happy when I did just that. She ate the dish with relish.
Some people like to make the durian flowers into a salad by mixing them with lime, chillies, cucumber shreds and seasoning. This, however, is a dish I have not tried yet.
As recommended by many YouTubers, I tried deep frying the flowers until they were golden brown and crispy. Surprisingly, this dish is delicious when it is served hot with chilli sauce. Needless to say, my sister also loved the deep fried durian flowers.
Yesterday, she told me there were fewer durian flowers to pick now. I guess soon, there will be no more durian flowers to enjoy.
I understand a durian tree will typically flower for just two weeks and that the flowers cannot be picked if it rains in the morning because they become sticky.
With China already figuring out how to grow durians and expecting its first harvest of 2,450 tonnes from the province of Hainan this month, I wonder whether the people there are enjoying the durian flowers as well.
And what about Vietnam which began exporting the fruits to China last year?
I will not be surprised if sooner or later, both China and Vietnam come out with interesting dishes incorporating the durian flowers.
Last time, I did not know that durian flowers could be deep fried. Now, I know, thanks to YouTube.
Anyway, my friends, while the supply of durian flowers is fast dwindling for my sister and her friends in the village, the unripe mangoes are still aplenty.
So, like the farmer who makes hay while the sun shines, I will continue to make pickles while there is abundant supply of green mangoes.
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
