Revenge Of The Tempoyak

As a couple of UK managers are over at the moment, I am reminded of the Fear Factor challenge I agreed to do a while ago, and after doing a coaching and mentoring workshop (which was a bit like pulling teeth actually), some of the team disappear off and return with a couple of carrier bags with pots of various dubious looking foodstuffs in.

The first looks like thickly sliced banana, and I think it’s called Tapai Ubi - fermented tapioca. Vile. I struggle to eat it, but manage to eat a bit. Once I swallow that, I am presented with this fermented rice pudding dish – I cannot remember the name of it, but it’s weird. I think it’s a bit alcoholic, which is very strange considering it’s halal… It wasn’t too bad, actually, and a have a couple of mouthfuls of that.

Thinking it was over, they then pull out this Tupperware pot containing a bright orange sludge and some weird looking beans and told to dip the beans into the sludge and eat. It looked completely unappetising, but weirdly it tasted really nice: very sharp (lime juice I think) and hot (chilli). After taking a few mouthfuls, the team are almost wetting themselves with delight, and take great pleasure in telling me that it’s something called tempoyak – fermented durian fruit… I cannot detect any durian smell, and it was quite tasty.

Later in the evening, I am out with friends and after a few glasses of wine, I notice that when I burp I can taste fart (durian) – the revenge of the tempoyak!