Roasted durian a draw at KK night market

KOTA KINABALU (Bernama): Roasted durians have become a major draw at the Jalan Gaya Food Night Market here which is a popular tourist spot.

The delicacy is the brainchild of fruit seller Dennis Chan who wanted to come up with new ideas for durian products.

The roasted durian is a new take on the king of fruits, and a change from the popular roasted young coconut which is sold in Jalan Sepanggar, Menggatal near here.

Explaining his technique, Chan said the durians are first wrapped in aluminium foil before they are roasted for 45 minutes over charcoal.

He said these durians are sold at RM60 each and cannot be immediately eaten but must be allowed to cool down first.

Chan said although he thought of the idea four years ago, he only started selling the roasted durians at the Jalan Gaya Food Night Market in Kota Kinabalu recently.

"Since I started trading here last month, the roasted durians have been popular among tourists from China, South Korea and some local durian lovers,” he told Bernama here.

Chan, who runs the Borneo Fruits Garden in Papar near here, also offers the public, especially tourists, the experience of visiting a local orchard and enjoying fruits like durians and rambutans.

The Jalan Gaya Food Night Market, which is also known as the Api-Api Food Market @ Gaya Street, is a recent tourist attraction in Kota Kinabalu.

It operates from 6pm until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays, selling food, drinks, fruits and local crafts.

It was officially launched on Dec 2 last year by Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Christina Liew who is also Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister. – Bernama