The rich aromas and flavours of nasi lemak are enjoyed by many diners in Malaysia, while the durian is hailed by enthusiasts as the king of fruits.
However, one Malaysian restaurant’s attempt to combine the two by serving the durian with the dish has not gone down well with everyone, judging from a flood of online reactions to the food pairing.
At In Between X Briyani Mak in Kuala Lumpur, diners can order a dish of regular nasi lemak with the usual accompaniments like anchovies, peanuts and sambal. But they can also top it off with a helping or two of durian from a nearby stall, according to several food blogs.
Diners can even take their pick from several varieties of durian, including the black thorn, tekka, XO or musang king.
In one TikTok video, a diner can be seen slathering sambal – a spicy nasi lemak condiment – atop some durian flesh, but the clip stops short of showing if anyone gobbles up the bizarre mouthful.
One user of the video-sharing platform, writing in the comments section, said: “Would it be worth it to be in the toilet throughout the day?”
Another wrote: “This is not even fusion, just confusion.”
A few people said it might be worth buying and eating each food item separately if the durian was cheap.
Two videos featuring In Between X Briyani Mak and its latest offering have racked up more than 600,000 views on TikTok – considerable fanfare for the eatery that also serves nasi briyani with more common accompaniments like chicken, mutton and masala prawns.
This is not the first attempt at an experimental combination aiming to unite the typically bittersweet fruit and a savoury dish.
In a tie-up with a fruit vendor, Malaysian eatery Ninety Three Nasi Lemak in Petaling Jaya offered servings of durian atop nasi lemak as a limited national day special in August 2021.
Durianity, a now-shuttered durian-focused restaurant in Puchong, sold fried durian fritters with nasi lemak – fragrant rice infused with coconut milk.
Fermented durian has also commonly been used as an ingredient inr tempoyak, a paste eaten with rice or fried with seafood and vegetables.
Yet more eateries have sought to use durian in uncommon ways, including in ramen, fried rice and chicken curry, dividing opinion among Malaysian diners but ensuring adventurous eaters in the country remain spoilt for choice.
