The choice of fruits in Malaysia is incredibly varied.
Although you can buy many in supermarkets,
the best price and quality is often found in makeshift wooden stalls along roads
Particularly close to Kampong with village areas in the country
These are usually the actual local farmers selling the fruits of the season
J: Hi, lovely people! C: Hello!
Welcome back to our flat in Kuala Lumpur
C: We have an array of fruit in front of us J: We do!
C: You may be asking, "Why is that?"
J: Because while we've been in Malaysia, we've been eating an awful lot of fruit
C: Although it is high in sugar, a lot of fruit; I mean,
depending what fruit you go for
Yeah. I've had to be quite careful. There are some fruits - because obviously I can't have a lot of sugar in my diet -
so I can have a tiny little bite of some things,
but then the day we went to your uncle's house and had...?
C: Cempedak J: Cempedak
C: Which I'd never had before. I don't know if I even said that right.
J: Cemp...? C: Cempedak. Insert word.
J: Sure. We had that. And then I was sick afterwards.
Locals love to dip the stripped off fruit flesh in a flour mixture
and deep-fry it in oil
resulting in a popular crispy tea-time treat
while its seeds can be roasted and eaten as snacks
much like roast chestnuts
So we thought we'd try some other weird Asian fruit
"Weird" being obviously subjective
if you're from Malaysia; this is just your fruit
[Laughing[ But all of these fruits
are grown in Malaysia
and some of them I've definitely never come across before
C: I've kind of seen most of them, because obviously I've been coming to Malaysia since I was like five, so
J: Claudia is half-Malaysian for anyone who doesn't know
C: So I recognise some of them--I mean, the ones in front of us now
I'm sure lots of you recognise, like
bananas!
J: But they're baby bananas!
C: I think they're just this type of banana, but they're really nice; they're really sweet
J: So we're going to try the fruit, tell you what we think, and then tell you a little bit about them
once we've actually found out about them
because we didn't want to ruin the surprise
J: Shall we begin with the bananas?
C: It's actually not called a banana
J: Oh? C: When I bought it, it wasn't called a banana
J: Oh, well there we go, then C: But I wasn't sure if that was just the Malay name
C: Nice.
J: It's a lot firmer
C: Yeah, it was really the least exciting one to try
J: All right, let's move onto these ones because they're fun-looking
C: Rose apple
I don't know what its actual name is; we'll have to find out
J: They're very beautiful, I have to say
They smell like...
Actually, they don't smell of anything
Maybe when you open them; let's open them.
C: Ooo, it's like a heart shape
J: It's very pretty. C: Yeah.
C: Does it smell once you've opened it?
Not really.
C: The texture is an apple.
C: Oh! It just sprayed in my eye.
J: I don't think that is like an apple.
J: It's more spongy. C: Yeah.
J: I like it because it's not sweet. C: It's not sweet at all, really.
J: I bet that's lovely in a salad.
J: The rose apple, or Jambu Merah,
(yep)
is shaped more like a pear
Its course and crisp texture
and briny flavour has resulted in a lot of Malaysian [?]
using it as an addition to the popular local Rojak Buah
fruit salad dish
J: All right, next thing we're going to try C: This! J: Is a starfruit!
Both: Oh, OK.
Both: Star fruit!
C: Obviously it's got its name because it's got the five sides--five...points.
C: Like a star.
J: Smells a bit orange-y.
J: I've never eaten this before.
C: I've had star fruit many a time, but...
J: What is this texture? It's very solid.
But yet it looks like a...
peach.
C: I would say it's got like a watermelon sort of texture. It's very watery.
J: Well, maybe it's different when you bite into it.
J: Oh, it's got skin!
C: I quite like it.
[?]
J: Oh, my God.
C: It's quite tangy, yeah.
J: It tastes like something that's gone off.
C: Maybe this one has. J: But just, only just.
This one quite possibly has maybe just gone off.
It's a bit brown on the sides.
C: It may have been in our fridge for a week.
J: The Belimbing is the star fruit,
which is another fruit native to Malaysia, with two distinct varieties
The first is a light green type that is salty in taste
while the second is a mellow yellow
with a sweet undertone
Crisp in texture, the fruit is said to help lower your blood pressure!
All right, which one shall we eat next?
C: Thisss!
J: Oo.
J: What is that? It looks like a pear that has gone wrong.
C: It's guava. J: Or an apple.
J: A guava! Oh, I've heard of guava before.
J: That does not look at all how I expected it to look.
It doesn't have a centre point like a pear or an apple.
C: This is actually what they put in the--you know the...
Oh, what's it called? You know when they sprinkle all that spicy sugar on fruit?
J: Ohh, yes!
J: They sell cut up fruit with a little powdery thing that you put over the top.
And, um...oh, Rojak!
I think it's called Rojak.
J: Oh.
C: But this is a popular fruit to have with it, because
J: It's very solid. C: Yeah.
J: Bites like a pear. Texture like a pear.
Tastes nothing at all like a pear.
C: No.
J: It reminds me of something.
But I want to say cleaning product.
C: Is that nice now, without the outside? J: Oh, that's so much better.
J: Oh, my God!
C: Yeah, it's the outside that's bitter, isn't it? J: Don't eat the outside of this, no.
J: The guava fruit is popular in Malaysia
for its hard texture and juicy, briny taste
Locals love the sweet and sour addition of Asam Boi with it
(dried sour plums)
C: So far, nothing has really convinced us. J: I'm not hugely excited.
J: Right, onto...
the next one!
J: Papaya? C: Yeah! J: Yaaay.
C: You can buy these in England now.
But only like in the last, what? Maybe not that--when I was little, you couldn't buy these in England.
C: This one's not that ripe, so it will be OK for you.
J: Excellent. C: Because it's usually quite a sweet fruit, isn't it?
J: Papaya has a gorgeous inside star shape; I really like it
c: Yeah, it does, and it has these quite big seeds inside.
C: OK, so you don't eat the skin on the papaya
J: Good to know. C: Yeah, just to let you know that.
C: This one's actually quite ripe.
J: It's not too sweet. C: No.
C: It's nice.
It's got a similar texture to a honeydew melon.
But a little bit more...
mushy.
J: There's more to it, I would say.
J: It's the winner from this group, certainly. C: Yes.
J: Also native to the tropics of the Americas,
this import has flourished in Malaysia
with the climate and soil conditions perfect for its growth.
C: Hiii [?] J: So, we have our next batch of fruit.
J: We have to talk a little louder because we had to turn on the air-con
because it's ruddy hot
C: I don't even know what that one is.
C: I saw it and was like, "It looks like a peach."
C: Doesn't it? J: It looks so interesting!
C: Looks a bit like a plum. J: It's a plum!
J: Here you go. C: Woah.
C: That's not a plum.
J: No, I've had this before!
J: It's like a Sharon fruit. C: Ohhh, yeah!
J: Yeah, yeah, yeah? C: Yeah, it tastes like a Sharon fruit.
C: Do you like it?
J: Love it.
J: Moving on.
C: This one! J: Oh, God.
J: I'm slightly scared of this one.
J: We'll just take the side that looks good. C: It might have maggots in it.
C: Again, this has been in our fridge for a week.
J: We've been planning this video, guys, just so you know.
C: I don't like--that last time I cut into, what was it, a little mini eggplant?
C: And oh, my God, it was the biggest maggot I've ever seen
J: I'm a lot braver than you. C: OK.
J: No. C: No. Both: No.
C: It's actually quite a delightful fruit.
J: Can we get a new one?
C: Please take it away and wrap it up in a bag; I'm scared that that's going to implode with maggots
J: OK, so I got rid of it. We're safe.
Let's make it better. You can choose which of these two we go for next.
J: OK!
C: Big one.
J: That is certainly a big one.
J: I've never eaten one
C: They sell these in England as well
J: I've still never eaten one. C: I think it's related to the grapefruit.
C: Yeah, it's not as sweet, and it's got really big segments and you can just eat one whole segment; it's quite cool.
J: Oh, OK. Let's go.
J: All right, you're sure this is not a fingernail job?
J: OK.
C: Well, you can try, but...
J: Oh, my God! C: Why don't you just use a knife, darling? [?]
J: I feel it's a bit like an orange, but it--argh.
J: Ohhhh!
J: Why wasn't I taught knife skills?
J: Oh, actually, I know why: because I cheated on my Food Tech exam.
J: Because I cut my finger open and then my teacher did all my cutting for me.
C: What are you scared of? J: I don't know!
I thought it might just explode in my face at any minute.
J: That's not what I expected it to taste like.
C: It's like a mild grapefruit taste, but without the horrible acidity
J: Mmm. C: I like it!
C: See, look, and you can pack a segment up like this
Put it in your kid's lunch box and then they can open it and just have one like
C: a segment J: Ahhh.
C: It may be quite piffy
and hard to peel
because it has been in our fridge...
for a week now
J: OK, now, let's move on to one of my favourite fruits C: Ooo.
[Silly voices] Fruit!
C: Lychees are very thin-skinned J: Yes
C: and then you pierce into it and it's like a juicy mess everywhere
And then you're like [frustrated noise] and you just wanna eat your lychee, but you've gotta get the shell off,
whereas this one it's a bit tougher
so once you get your nail through, it's quite easy to just break it off, isn't it?
C: It's a bit more rewarding to eat when you're hungry
J: It's called a dragon's eye because it's all googly
C: It's because it's got a black [screeches]
[Slow motion replay of the screech]
J: Is it another maggot-y one?
[Sadly] C: I don't know! J: Oh, that's not a maggot; it's not moving
C: Is that just the seed? J: I think that's just the seed.
C: I was going to say - normally, the seed is black
C: So inside the translucent, fleshy fruit... J: Inside the blackness [?] is white
C: It looks like an eyeball, like looking at you
J: It's like perfectly fragrant
C: Ah, they are nice. It's very nutty, as well. J: Mmmm.
C: Juicy, fruity nut.
J: I love these so much.
J: The dragon eye, or langsat,
originates in Peninsula Malaysia,
with an almost paper thin shell
the translucent flesh is sweet
J: Onto the next fruit, the final lap!
C: All right, OK.
C: These are all quite weird-looking. I mean, what is this?
J: This, we've dubbed 'the potato fruit.' C: It looks like a potato.
J: [?]
C: And then there's these ones that look also like potatoes, but they're slightly more elongated
J: OK.
C: And then there's these,
J: Yeah, which we thought were a bit like loganberries. We're going to try them; find out.
C: They would make good--
J: Dragon fruit! C: Oh, yeah.
C: That is also your favourite.
J: You can buy them with much longer tails, so they actually look like those dragon fish
C: Is that what it is? J: Yeah.
C: I thought it was dragon because it's like--it's like fire-y and amazing
C: And then we've got passion fruit, but we just chose this because it's massive
Like, in England
J: Yeah, in England they're like this tiny
C: They all come like this. I don't know why I've got this habit of chucking the fruit around now, but
C: So, let's start with the potato [?]
C: We will find out its real name in a minute and tell you.
Both: Oohhh...
J: Interesting.
C: It's like fruit mixed with tar
[J: Makes a noise of disgust]
C: Dissolves a bit like an avocado does
J: But not in that creamy, nice way
C: No.
J: Shall we try the weird potato fruit in a different shape?
C: Yeah. J: In case it gets better
C: Hopefully it's nicer, yeah
J: Oh.
C: Does that cut differently?
J: This is the same cut.
C: It's slightly better than the potato.
J: Yeah.
J: And if you were wondering, this was purchased this morning
C: This is not one-week-old; this was fresh today
J: The sapodilla, or what Claudia and I call the potato fruit,
also the ciku, or chiku, or...I can't pronounce that,
is an important to Malaysia from the tropics of the Americas
You'll find them most in the markets.
It's a fig-like fruit with its inner flesh being moist and sweet
J: Let's move onto something we both enjoy!
C: Passion fruit! J: The dragon fruit! C: Oh, OK.
J: So, yes, it looks like this outside - like a dragon.
J: And then inside
J: Normally, the ones you buy in England are white.
But all the ones I've seen in Malaysia so far are purple.
C: Yeah.
C: But we saw the white one
in the store, but I think that was imported from South America?
J: Ohh. C: So we obviously get our ones from South America.
C: These are the South-East Asian ones
J: Although one bad point is this colour does ruddy get everywhere
J: It runs like you wouldn't believe
C: I just think it's so... J: I don't know why I'm doing it like as a tasting thing
J: Like you've never tasted this before. Had it for breakfast, but...
Still.
C: It looks...
Because of its colour,
you think it would be like really
sweet, because it's almost like an artificially
bright colour, you think it's going to have an artificially sweet taste,
but obviously it is an actual fruit and it's its natural colouring
C: It doesn't taste that sweet, does it?
J: Mm, no.
C: Like the taste of a melon, but then obviously it's then got the seeds in it
C: that gives it that extra bit of-- J: Like the delicacy of a melon?
C: It's not got a strong-- J: It's just delicious
C: It's not got a strong flavour.
J: God darn it
C: But as I said: careful, it does sting
J: I know, yeah. C: 'K, passion fruit!
J: All right, Claud really loves the passion fruit
J: I, less so.
C: You don't like passion fruit?!
J: I think passion fruit's hideous C: Really?!
J: I've only ever tried passion fruit in England C: But smell it!
J: And passion fruit-flavoured things C: Just the smell of it makes me salivate.
C: Woo! I like that zinginess you get
C: No, still not a fan?
C: I think that's definitely got my dose of Vitamin C in it
J: Don't look at my teeth, OK, people?
C: Right, last fruit!
J: Last fruit, last fruit!
J: We think it's like a loganberry
C: It's not soft, and we've had this for a-- J: It's very hard
C: We've had this for a week as well and I thought it would go softer
J: Why is my cutting so bad?
[Grunts of effort]
C: Oh, it's like a cucumber!
J: Wait, did we buy a cucumber?
J: Smells bitter C: Smells bitter
C: I don't know if I want this to be my last fruit - oh, good, there's some dragon fruit left-over.
[Noise of disgust]
C: It's gross.
J: You have to try. C: No, I--I did.
J: You have to just take a little bite. OK, ready?
J: I can't even bite it! C: Ew, gross!
C: I don't think that's a fruit, darling.
C: I think you might have to cook--I think you're meant to cook with it.
J: Malaysian fans
J: Pray, do fill us in on what the hell that is
J: Of course, we couldn't do a video about Malaysian fruit and not mention the [?],
its foremost distinctive
Durian is called the 'king of fruits' by locals
perhaps due to its outer, armour-like shell
but also due to its infamous, strong
pungent smell
You'll need a sharp knife to cut into this fruit
and reveal its soft, creamy-covered seeds
that apparently taste better than they smell
The durian is found during the peak dry weather season
- December to January -
so we just missed out on trying it
Just as durian is the king of fruits in Malaysia,
mangosteen is known as its consorting queen
The fruit's thick outer skin is a deep royal purple
and relatively easy to peel
Just beneath the surface is the white, sweet, juicy fruit
that comes in segments
It boasts a wealth of health benefits
such as high anti-oxidant content;
immune-boosting Vitamin C;
and even anti-inflammatory properties
The bright red rambutan fruit is eye-catching.
Within its hairy-looking outer shell,
is an incredibly sweet and juicy white fruit
The Jackfruit can grow to huge sizes
and is available all year round
It, too, has a spiky, hard outer surface,
and softer, stringy flesh within
It has a distinctive smell, not that dissimilar to the durian in our opinion
but perhaps a little more acceptable
In Malay, it's called nangka
(Sorry)
And just like the cempedak, it can be eaten raw
or dipped in flour and deep-fried as a snack
J: Good times! C: Anyway!
C: So I hoped you liked some stuff from this video
C: We did. J: Very informative!
J: If you're new here and you have enjoyed this video,
then Claudia and I make other humorous videos
Mainly just we make arses of ourselves and you laugh at it
C: We also do the really nice, beautiful videos
J: Oh, we do, we also make lovely videos
and sweet ones, and informative ones!
And...sometimes they're just about the dogs
J: Also, if I come across some durian or Jackfruit,
that I do need to taste,
even though I really don't want to,
we will put that in the weekly vlog, so make sure that you tune in on Sundays
for those weekly updates!
C: Bye!