Ah Seng Durian Ghim Moh Market - Gang Hai 江海 durians

All that talk about durians and durian sellers in the news made us feel like buying some. Ah Seng Durian Ghim Moh Market is one of the famous durian sellers in Singapore. It takes up three or four stalls in the fruit section of the market. There are other durian sellers there but Ah Seng is by far the largest. They also have a smooth operation, dealing with the flow of customers almost like a factory production line.

Ah Seng Durian encourages their customers to make reservations by phone or sms. Their prices are shown at the store and on their Facebook page which also contains instructions on how to place your orders. Making a reservation is a good idea but not for people like us who make decisions like this on impulse. We went to Ah Seng Durian Ghim Moh Market at an off-peak time around 3 pm on a weekday. It was a good time as there were only a few people in the queue. But not good enough as their most sought after item, the Mao Shan Wang (猫山王) durians were sold out – reserved in advance by more organised people. We had to pick from the remaining ones. That was how we ended up with Gang Hai (江海) durians. A type which we never heard of and so decided to try it.

The Buying Process at Ah Seng Durian Ghim Moh Market

At the head of the queue we decided on the type of durians and they picked a couple for us. The gang hai durians were priced at $9 per kg. The MSW on that day was $19 per kg. They were opened and we could taste them to ensure they were ok. The durians were then placed in a basket on a rack with rollers. It reminded me of the security check area at the airport. The customer then follows his basket as it proceeds down the line. Ours was the red basket on the left. The first stop was the cashier. Customers can choose to eat the durians at the market or pack them home. We chose the latter.

The next stop was the durian opener – he expertly opened our durians and placed the fruits into a plastic container.

The open containers were then passed to the next station with the sealing machine. The machine seals up the package by affixing a clear plastic cover. The sealing was good and tight and did not leave any smell in the car.

Gang Hai Durians

We noticed that husk of the gang hai durians were rather thick which resulted in the fleshy bits being correspondingly small. But this negative was offset by the tiny seeds of this type of durian. They were the size of a thumb nail.

The flesh of the gang hai durians from Ah Seng Durian Ghim Moh Market were dry to the touch. It does not have a strong smell or taste. Just creamy with a mildly sweet pleasant taste. I think this would be a good durian to try for beginners. Hard core durian eaters seeking powerful flavours may be disappointed. Durians are sometimes likened to cheese – you either hate or love that smell. And sometimes it is an acquired taste. The gang hai durian was like brie cheese. Soft gentle flavours with a smooth creamy texture. The total cost of our two durians was $19. We would buy these again but would probably mix them with something stronger for a contrast in flavours.