There are two parts to this recipe - (of course there are!). First we ferment the durian, then we transform it into an incredible sambal. This recipe came to me through Instagram friendship with Connie Chew from Crazy Asian Ferments, after a team member Amy brought us a jar from Malaysia: I rememebered NOT liking it when I was a teenager living in KL. When we hosted our 'Sticky and Stinky' event with Sandor Katz at the Daylesford Longhouse, this was a curiosity for sure. Tony Tan used it in his rice dish, and in my humble opinion, even though we made it from frozen Durian - it was magnificent.
OK - fermented durian sounds doubly stinky. But as you'd guess - there is transformation through fermentation. The durian's boldness turns to something kind of savoury with a musky sweetness that's really delicious. Try it before you judge it. :)
In Melbourne you can get fresh Durian around the markets and Asian grocers are abundant. Out of season you can also get a small amount frozen durian - which of course is not as good - but works well enough if that's all you can get or if buying a whole Durian is going too far. (Or if your apartment has a rule against it haha).
Ingredients
PART ONE: Fermenting the Durian (Tempoyak)
250g durian flesh (seeds removed, weighed after)
5-10g non-iodised salt (2-4% of durian weight - use less for milder fermentation, more for longer storage)
Equipment:
Clean glass jar or airtight container
Clean spoon
PART TWO: Sambal Tempoyak (The Spicy Condiment)
3-4 tablespoons tempoyak (from above)
8-12 fresh red chilies (or a mix of red and bird's eye chilies for more heat)
2 shallots, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon shrimp paste (belacan or terasi), toasted*
1 teaspoon palm sugar or brown sugar
Juice of 1 lime (or to taste)
Salt to taste
1-2 tablespoons oil for cooking (optional - some versions are raw)
Optional additions:
1 tomato, chopped (for sweetness and body)
Fresh anchovies or dried shrimp
Petai beans (if you can find them!)
Lemongrass or turmeric leaf
Directions
Prepare the durian:Remove all seeds from your durian flesh. Choose durian you'd happily eat fresh - the quality of your starting fruit matters.
Mash and salt:Roughly mash the durian flesh into a paste (it doesn't need to be completely smooth). Sprinkle the salt evenly over the durian and mix thoroughly.
Pack and seal:Transfer to your clean, dry container. Press down to remove air pockets. Seal tightly.
Ferment:Place in a cool, dark spot at room temperature (20-28°C). Leave undisturbed for at least 4 days.
Taste and decide:After 4 days, use a clean, dry spoon to taste. It should be developing a pleasant sourness. Continue fermenting for up to 7-14 days depending on how sour you like it - the longer it ferments, the more pronounced the tang.
Store:Once it reaches your preferred flavour, transfer to the refrigerator where it will keep for several months (even up to a year!).
What to expect: Your tempoyak will develop lactic acid bacteria naturally present on the durian. It will become pleasantly sour, creamy, and deeply savoury with that characteristic musky durian character intensified and mellowed all at once.
PART TWO: Sambal Tempoyak (The Spicy Condiment)
For Raw Sambal (Traditional):
Toast your shrimp paste by wrapping in foil and heating in a dry pan until fragrant (about 1-2 minutes).
Using a mortar and pestle, pound the chilies until roughly broken down.
Add the garlic, shallots, and toasted shrimp paste. Pound until you have a coarse paste.
Add the tempoyak and continue pounding until well combined.
Season with sugar, salt, and lime juice to taste.
Serve immediately with rice, grilled fish, or fresh vegetables.
For Cooked Sambal (Keeps Longer):
Blend or pound chilies, shallots, garlic, and toasted shrimp paste into a paste.
Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry the paste until fragrant and darkened slightly (5-7 minutes).
Stir in the tempoyak and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Add sugar, salt, and any optional ingredients. Cook until everything is well combined and aromatic.
Remove from heat, cool slightly, and add lime juice.
Store in a sterilised jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
To serve:
This sambal is traditionally served with fried fish, grilled meats, rice, and fresh vegetables. It's also magnificent stirred through coconut curries or used as a dipping sauce.
Personal Note: Don't be afraid of the durian! The sambal balances the funk with heat, sweetness, and that incredible umami from the shrimp paste.
To toast shrimp paste: Wrap a small amount in foil and place in a dry pan over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until deeply fragrant.
Tempoyak is a tradition of Malay communities across Sumatra and Kalimantan, where durian grows in abundance and fermentation the usual solution to preserving an abundant harvest. I first tasted tempoyak as a teenager living in Kuala Lumpur, where durian season transforms the entire city into something intoxicating and overwhelming in equal measure. I have to admit I was not into durian, nor was my palate ready for the fermented kind.
Interestingly, Java grows plenty of durian too but don't have a Tempoyak version that I could see. Jeff and I ate loads of it when we were doing our Tempeh course - but even with all that durian, they tend to preserve it through drying (making kering durian), turning it into dodol (a sweet, thick paste), or candying it - rather than fermenting.
The cultural and ethnic differences shaped which preservation methods took hold where. Javanese culture seems to focusing fermentation on soybeans (tempe, tauco) and cassava (tape singkong) rather than fruit. Each Indonesian region developed preservation methods around their dominant crops and cultural practices. From Palembang's tempoyak ikan patin to Jambi's fiery sambal seruit, still the Malay tradition makes fermented durian distinctly their own. Isn't it interesting?
Fresh durian we bought and ate at a specialty store in Yogjakarta.
What remained...look at those pips! It was coming out of our pores by the next day I'm pretty sure. Luckily it was just the 2 of us for a few days.
. Piles of durian at a Singpaore market
We might have the big banana, and pineapple - but Yogjakarta has this:
One of India's most treasured preserves - intensely spiced, gloriously oily, and capable of transforming the simplest meal into something memorable. Unlike the bright, fresh Latin American mango relish, this is a serious, long-keeping pickle that develops complex flavours over weeks and months.
. Piles of durian at a Singpaore market
