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Vegetables from Thailand

Pak-koom-dorng (fermented Crateva shoots)ผักกุ่มดอง

Pak-koom-dorng is the tender tips of Crateva, wilted in the sun, tied in small bundles and covered with a brine of salt, sugar and water or coconut water. The closed jar sits in the sun for 3 days while the tips turn sour. Thailand's community product standard requires pH 4.0 or below.

Fully documentedVegetables3 days

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceAmounts for 2 kg of Crateva tips, from the JIRCAS Thai fermented-food card.
Tender Crateva tips2 kgWashed and sun-wilted, tied in small bundles[jircas]
Salt1 cup[jircas]
Sugar4 tablespoons[jircas]
Water, or coconut water in its place10 cups[jircas]

Total time across the recorded steps: 3 days

Start
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What changes: Washed Crateva tips wilt in the sun

Step 1 of 3
Wash and sun-wilt the tips
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactobacillus plantarum
Pediococcus pentosaceus
Pichia sp.
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

Pak-koom-dorng is the tender tips of Crateva, wilted in the sun, tied in small bundles and covered with a brine of salt, sugar and water or coconut water. The closed jar sits in the sun for 3 days while the tips turn sour. Thailand's community product standard requires pH 4.0 or below. Made in 3 steps over 3 days. The longest step, cover with brine, close tightly and ferment in the sun, takes 3 days (JIRCAS 1995). Lactobacillus plantarum and Pediococcus pentosaceus do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step3 daysReported[jircas]Cover with brine, close tightly and ferment in the sun
AciditypH up to 4Set[tcps1212]Cover with brine, close tightly and ferment in the sun

What makes this one different

Pak-koom-dorng is wilted in the sun before pickling, and the jar ferments in the sun, not the shade. The community standard also allows soaking the tips in lime water or a calcium firming salt first.

Related ferments

Safety

Thailand's community standard for pickled Crateva requires pH 4.0 or below, total microbes under 1 × 10^6 per gram, Staphylococcus aureus under 100 per gram, E. coli below 3 per gram (MPN) and yeasts and moulds no more than 100 per gram. Calcium firming salts are capped at 1000 mg/kg as total calcium, and synthetic colours are banned.

Hazards the sources name: Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli (the standard sets limits for both).

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.
  1. [jircas] JIRCAS, Database of Fermented Foods of Thailand: Pak-koom-dorng (fermented crataeva); microbes cite The traditional fermented foods of Thailand (1995); read 2026-10-23gov
  2. [tcps1212] Thai Industrial Standards Institute 2006, Thai Community Product Standard มผช.1212/2549, Pickled Crateva (pak-koom dorng) (copy on archive.org)spec