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Best Tempoyak in Chicago
“Fermented durian that transforms excess into an umami-driven condiment for Southeast Asian kitchens.”
What the real thing tastes like
Tempoyak (Jawi: تمڤويق), asam durian or pekasam is a Malay condiment made from fermented durian. It is usually consumed by the ethnic Malays in Maritime Southeast Asia, notably in Indonesia and Malaysia. Tempoyak is made by crushing durian flesh and mixing it with some salt and kept in room temperature from three to seven days for fermentation. Tempoyaks are usually made during the durian season, when the abundance of durian and excess production are made into fermented tempoyak. Tempoyak is not normally consumed on its own; it is usually eaten as condiment or as an ingredient for cooking, such as when it is cooked with coconut milk curry as gulai tempoyak ikan patin (pangasius fish tempoyak curry), or mixed with spicy chili pepper as sambal tempoyak.
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Tempoyak is a fermented durian condiment born from abundance—a way Malay cooks transform seasonal gluts into something sharp, funky, and essential. Crushed durian flesh mixed with salt sits for three to seven days at room temperature, developing an umami intensity that's never eaten alone. Instead, it dissolves into coconut curry with pangasius fish, or sharpens into sambal with chili, becoming the backbone that deepens everything it touches.
Order it here when it has
- uses seasonal abundance
- versatile cooking ingredient
- concentrated flavor
- traditional preparation
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