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Vegetables from Thailand

Horm-dorng (fermented shallot bulbs)หอมดอง

Horm-dorng is peeled shallot bulbs kept under a boiled and cooled mix of salt, sugar, vinegar, coconut juice and rice-wash water, in a closed jar in the shade for about 10 days. The bulbs come out sour, salty and slightly sweet.

Fully documentedVegetables5 days – 10 days

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceHome recipe from the JIRCAS card for 2 kg of shallots. The liquid is given in parts by volume; enough is made to cover the bulbs.
Shallot bulbs2 kgRoots and leaves cut off, outer skin peeled[jircas]
Salt2 parts by volume[jircas]
Sugar1 part by volumeThe card's ingredient list names palm sugar[jircas]
Boiled water4 parts by volume[jircas]
Vinegar1 part by volume[jircas]
Coconut juice2 parts by volume[jircas]
Rice-wash water6 parts by volume[jircas]

Total time across the recorded steps: 5 days – 10 days

Start
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What changes: Shallot bulbs are trimmed, peeled, washed and packed into a glass jar

Step 1 of 5
Trim, peel and wash the shallot bulbs
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

Output: peeled bulbs packed in a glass jar.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

Horm-dorng is peeled shallot bulbs kept under a boiled and cooled mix of salt, sugar, vinegar, coconut juice and rice-wash water, in a closed jar in the shade for about 10 days. The bulbs come out sour, salty and slightly sweet. Made in 5 steps over 5 days – 10 days. The longest step, cover the bulbs, close the jar and ferment in the shade, takes 5–10 days (JIRCAS 2026). Salt is 13.9 % (Pan-Utai W 2024).

Key numbers
Main step5–10 daysReported[jircas][panutai2024]Cover the bulbs, close the jar and ferment in the shade
Salt13.9 %Measured[panutai2024]Finished pickle
AciditypH 3.6Measured[panutai2024]Finished pickle

What makes this one different

Unlike dton-horm-dorng, which ferments whole green shallots in plain salt brine with rice, horm-dorng uses peeled bulbs under a boiled mix that already holds vinegar and sugar. Market samples are much saltier and sweeter than most Thai vegetable pickles [panutai2024]. A 2020 review of lactic-acid-fermented vegetables lists hom-dong, made from red onion, among Thailand's fermented vegetable products [ashaolu2020].

Related ferments

Safety

Market samples were about pH 3.6 with about 14 % salt [panutai2024].

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

History
The sources we found do not record its history.
Starter
The sources we found do not say how its fermentation begins.
Microbes
No study we found names its microbes.
  1. [jircas] JIRCAS, Database of Fermented Foods of Thailand, Horm-dorng (fermented shallots) card, read 2026-10-23gov
  2. [panutai2024] Pan-Utai W., Settachaimongkon S., La-Ongkham O. et al. 2024, Physicochemical, nutritional, and antioxidant properties of traditionally fermented Thai vegetables, Foods 13(17):2848, doi:10.3390/foods13172848 (Tables 1–3)paper
  3. [ashaolu2020] Ashaolu T.J. and Reale A. 2020, A holistic review on Euro-Asian lactic acid bacteria fermented cereals and vegetables, Microorganisms 8(8):1176, doi:10.3390/microorganisms8081176 (table of fermented vegetables lists Hom-Dong, red onion, Thailand)paper