#d197

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Now may be the best time for Durian (榴莲) lovers to indulge in the king of fruits. 🥰 Prices of all varieties of durian have fallen by more than half, hitting a 10-year record low, attributed to the bumper harvest during the last durian season of the year (2025), leading to a glut in supply. The prized Mao Shan Wang (猫山王), also known as Musang King in Malaysia 🇲🇾 and Singapore 🇸🇬 have seen prices plunged to between S$5 and S$11 a kilogram. Good news for us consumers but not so good for durian plantation owners.

My youngest brother went to Johor Bahru, Malaysia 🇲🇾 and gifted us three vacuumed sealed packs of durians. The durian’s flesh is on the moist side, but the flavours are creamy and sweet, just the kind mum loves. 😘 Based on the appearance of the small and flat seeds, my guess is that these are of the Mao Shan Wang (猫山王) durian cultivar.

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My youngest brother bought us these two boxes of Durians (榴莲) knowing our love for the thorny fruit. Didn’t ask him the cultivar of the durians but based on the bittersweet taste and small flat seeds, my guess would be Mao Shan Wang (猫山王). The second box of durians are however creamy and sweet, the kind mum like best. 😘 Anyway, those durians in the first photograph are Wild Durians from Borneo which aren’t as strong smelling, nor does it taste good as the specially bred and cultivated durians.

Wild durian image from here.

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This tub of Mao Shan Wang (猫山王) durians was transferred from the freezer to the chiller to defrost overnight. I specifically told mum I wanted to take photos before eating them, but mum had conveniently forgotten about what I said and had already dug into it. 😅 As the seller is staying nearby, she delivered it straight to my place so I avoided having to transport it myself. You do know that durians are banned in Singapore’s public transport like MRT trains and buses, many hotels and a lot of air-conditioned buildings also prohibit them.

The name Mao Shan Wang translates to Cat Mountain King or Musang King and is believed to be a reference to the Asian palm civets, or musangs, that were said to have been attracted to the durian fruits growing on the mountain. There are different grades of Mao Shan Wang, with Black Gold (黑金) and King of Kings (王中王) from old trees being premium variants known for their more intense flavours.

Selected images from here and here.

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This year the Durian (榴莲) Season brings bountiful harvest of good quality durians especially Mao Shan Wang (猫山王). With prices varying from S$6 to S$12 a kilogram, it’s no wonder we have been indulging on the king of fruits. Majority of the durian sold here are from Malaysia 🇲🇾 and they are of the best quality. One might also occasionally find Thai durians, but these tend to be less sweet, less pungent, and firmer in texture. Great for those who can’t handle the usual “heavenly aroma”. 🤣

My younger brother passed two boxes of Mao Shan Wang (猫山王) durians to us as he knows it’s mum’s favourite. They are rich, creamy, and bittersweet, with a complex flavour that balances strong sweetness with a pleasant bitterness, often described as a "divine" mix. 🤤 Its flesh is a distinctive deep yellow, thick, and buttery, melting in your mouth with a luscious, sometimes slightly alcoholic note.

Top two images from here and here.

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In my earlier post, I mentioned that my younger brother bought Mao Shan Wang (猫山王) for us. So, sis and her friend decided to get the durians from the same place the next day. My brother neglected to inform us that the durians are S$12 per kilogram if one purchase under 10 kilograms. Ended up sis also bought more than 10 kilograms to qualify for the S$11 special pricing. The seller opened the durians and packed them into three large boxes and one smaller box. Note: This is not the stall sis bought the durians from.

Also known as Musang King (猫山王), this durian cultivar was registered under the name of Raja Kunyit, meaning “Turmeric King”, a reference to the fruit’s turmeric-coloured deep yellow flesh. In 1993, Raja Kunyit was registered with the Malaysian department of agriculture and assigned the code number D197. Even though this batch of durians were bittersweet and just as good as the ones my brother passed to us, the seeds were not flat like the earlier batch.

Top two images from here and here.

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While me and mum are out on our weekend dine and grocery shopping, my younger brother messaged me asking if we are home. He bought Mao Shan Wang (猫山王) durians and will deliver them over to our place later in the evening. He said it cost S$11 per kilogram and he bought a total of 10 kilograms for us and his family. The total weight includes the whole durian, meaning the thorny shells too in case someone thinks it just the fruits inside. The flesh is creamy and bittersweet plus the seeds are small and flat.

Topmost image from here.

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The Musang King or Mao Shan Wang (猫山王) was originally known as Raja Kunyit, meaning "Turmeric King", a reference to the fruit's turmeric-coloured deep yellow flesh. In 1993, Raja Kunyit was registered with the Malaysian department of agriculture and assigned the code number D197. The owner of this clone was a Mr Wee Chong Beng from Tanah Merah, Kelantan. The name Musang King was derived from the region of Gua Musang where the clone was first planted.

In the 1980’s, a man named Tan Lai Fook stumbled upon a very old durian tree in Gua Musang and brought a branch back to Raub and started cultivating it. Today the Mao Shan Wang (猫山王) from Raub and Bentong in Pahang are regarded as the best in Malaysia. The durians are prized for its unusual combination sweet, buttery, thick, bright yellow flesh and robust flavour, with a hint of bitterness. Got this 1.5kg tub of durians (S$65) direct from the durian plantation in Johor Bahru, Malaysia through a colleague’s friend. The seeds are flat which makes this purchase even more worth the money spent.

Actually, I wanted two tubs of MSW but seller only have one so she recommended this tub of pale yellow Durians (榴莲) at S$35. Cultivar is unknown but it is sweet and creamy though can’t compare to the musang king. However, it seeds are even smaller and flatter than the Mao Shan Wang.

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Musang King is a Malaysian cultivar (cultivated variety) of durian (Durio zibethinus). Prized for its unusual combination of bitter and sweet flavours, Musang King is the most popular variety of durian (榴莲) in both Malaysia 🇲🇾 and Singapore 🇸🇬, where it is known as Mao Shan Wang (猫山王), also known as Cat Mountain King and commands a price premium over other varieties. Sis and her friend bought five fruits at S$16 per kilogram.

Topmost image from here.