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Lee believes Penang and Bentong continue to produce some of the country’s best durian , owing to the particular soil composition and weather conditions. This year’s harvest at his farm, however, has been below expectations. Yields are down, fruit prices are up, and quality raw material has become more expensive to source. Still, Lee has not been tempted to pad the recipe with fillers or extra sugar, a common shortcut among commercial producers. “Many producers add flour and more sugar. We use pure durian flesh and less sugar. If the centre of the cake is hard, it may contain flour.” Cottage industry with no factory ambitions What started as a small family sideline has become a well-known cottage industry. But Lee has never had any intention of scaling it up into a factory operation. Now a grandfather, he has tried to pass on the knowledge and techniques to his children, although he admits the younger generation has shown little interest in taking over. The product itself offers no help on that front. With no preservatives in the recipe, the cake keeps for only about three weeks at room temperature before mould begins to develop. As demand for Malaysian durian products grows overseas, many producers have pivoted towards items that can withstand lengthy transport and storage. Lee has chosen a different path, preserving the traditional recipe passed down through his mother, and the authentic character of the product, rather than reformulating it for export markets. For those with a discerning palate, the appeal is precisely in that simplicity – pure durian flesh, a little less sugar, and absolutely nothing else. That means it’s best that you gobble it all up in one sitting.

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Only by using good durian flesh can we make durian cakes that release natural oils, resulting in a smooth texture.”

The production line is run by a fourth-generation durian family that still does it the real way, and has no plans to stop. – T.C. KHOR/THESUN

Durian cake maker sticks to tradition without exceptions

flesh placed into a wok. A single batch takes about four hours and yields about 50 rolls of 300g each. At peak season, the family processes up to 1,000kg of durian a day and produces as many as 100 rolls. Timing, Lee emphasises, is everything. “If we stir it for more than four hours, the taste would be altered because it will be overcome by the taste of caramel.” The business uses durian from the family’s own orchard as well as from trusted growers, including longtime friend Tan Eow Chong of Durian Kaki and Durianhill Plantation.

As prices climb and shortcuts tempt, one Balik Pulau family holds firm to a four-generation recipe BY T.C. KHOR newsdesk@thesundaily.com

slowly with sugar in a large wok until it thickens into a dense, sticky paste. It is then moulded into elongated rolls and sliced before serving. The texture lands somewhere between a fruit preserve and a confection – soft, chewy and intensely durian . During the long cooking process, the fruit develops notes of caramel, deepening both in flavour and colour. That characteristic deep brown? Mostly caramelised sugar. Lee’s version, however, is deliberately paler. The family began reducing sugar content back in 2011, well before lower sugar products became fashionable. At the time, it was a quiet response to changing consumer preferences and growing health awareness. It remains a point of quiet pride. “Although the low-sugar durian cake has a lighter colour and doesn’t look as appealing as the traditional deep brown, as long as it’s healthier, it is still popular with consumers,” said Kang. Less sugar, she and Lee both note, also means a longer cooking process as sugar helps the mixture harden more quickly, cutting the time down to as little as two hours. Without it, the wok must be manned for longer and the result is lighter in hue. Most producers, Lee says, haven’t found that trade-off worth making. Up before dawn, wok before breakfast During the durian season, production begins as early as 4am. Fruits are opened, seeds removed and

F IFTEEN years ago, a roll of traditional durian cake sold for about RM7. Today, that same 300g roll costs RM25, a reflection of rising durian prices, higher operating costs and a season that has been less generous than growers had hoped. Patrick Lee knows all of this. And he hasn’t changed a thing. The fourth-generation member of a durian -growing family in Balik Pulau, Lee started making durian cake about 20 years ago after his wife, Kang Hong Ling, 56, suggested turning part of the family harvest into a value-added product. For the first five years, everything was done by hand. Machinery came later, about 15 years ago, which lifted daily output from roughly 20 rolls to about 100. But the recipe, pure durian flesh and sugar and nothing else, has stayed exactly as it was. “Apart from our own farm, we are supplied with high-quality durian by regular fruit farmers and vendors. Only by using good durian flesh can we make durian cakes that release natural oils, resulting in a smooth texture.” What exactly is durian cake? For the uninitiated, durian cake – known locally as kek durian or lempuk durian – bears very little resemblance to the Western bakery kind of cakes. There is no sponge, no frosting, no candles. Instead, durian flesh is cooked

Lee and Kang have been making durian cake the traditional way for two decades with pure pulp, less sugar and no shortcuts. – T.C. KHOR/THESUN

A machine now does what was once done by hand. But the mix remains the same, all natural ingredients and no preservatives. – T.C. KHOR/THESUN