Recently, I was invited to attend a dinner sponsored by WORLDFOODS, a Malaysian based maker of high quality Asian-inspired sauces, marinades, chutneys, and pastes. I walked away with a bag of several of their 51 different products and a challenge: come up with and blog about new and creative ways to cook with their products.
The first product I used was their Malaysian Chilli Coconut Marinade. It was a weeknight and I needed to prepare a quick meal. One chicken breast and thirty minutes later, I had a tasty protein ready to cook and add to a salad. There were two things that caught my attention about the marinade:
First, one reason I cook a lot is that I want to know what I’m putting in my body. Looking at the ingredient list, I was pleased to see familiar, pronounceable words. No artificial colors, preservatives, flavorings, MSG, or gluten.
Second, the flavor was remarkably good and remarkably authentic. Unlike a lot of “Asian” products that are watered down versions of popular sauces, the WORLDFOODS products have the same ingredients (and the same amount of chilies!) that you find when eating these foods in their home country. While available worldwide, you won’t find any “Americanization” of the flavors.
Wanting to find ways to use the marinade differently than its traditional use, I put the right side of my brain to work. The idea I settled on was to do roasted root vegetables, something I associate more with olive oil and rosemary, and use the Chilli Coconut Marinade as a glaze.
I decided on a combination of yams and beets (about 1.5 pounds or 750 grams total), with two yellow onions and a handful of garlic cloves. These were scrubbed and, except for the yams, peeled. Then I sliced them into approximately 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces.
When I cut open the yams I was surprised to discover that they did not have the orange-colored interiors I am familiar with. Instead, they are purple. In the end, the flavor wasn’t that different, although it did lead to a slightly more monochromatic dish than I had anticipated.
Once the root vegetables, onion, and garlic were combined, I coated them with about 1 cup (200 ml) of WORLDFOODS Malaysian Chilli Coconut Marinade and 1/2 cup (100 ml) of chicken broth. You can substitute water or vegetable broth, if you wish to keep the dish vegetarian.
The vegetables were poured in an ovenproof dish and then placed in a preheated 350 F (180 C) oven for about 25 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes to keep the vegetables coated with marinade. There is enough marinade that it forms a bit of a pool at the bottom of the dish, helping cook the vegetables by steam as well as direct heat.
Once the yams and beets were getting soft but not yet fully cooked through, I stirred in about 4 cups (90 dl) of kale, washed and cut into wide strips. The dish returned to the oven for about ten more minutes, enough time to finish cooking the root vegetables while still leaving the kale a little crunchy. You can cook the dish for longer if you prefer your vegetables softer.
Uncommitted to the idea of this being a fully vegetarian meal, I also pan fried a plate of Northeastern Thai style sausage called Sai Oua, sliced it, and served it on the side.
The end result was very nice. The marinade had thickened into a nice glaze, coating the vegetables with a sweet, tangy, and spicy sauce which countered the natural sugars in the yams and beets. The kale provided a fresh contrast that made for a very satisfying meal.
All in all, I’m very pleased with the WORLDFOODS Malaysian Chilli Coconut Marinade and look forward to trying it in other dishes, as well as to trying their other products.
While WORLDFOODS is based in Malaysia, its products are available in major countries across the world including Australia, the UK, the United States, and Canada, as well as most Southeast Asian countries. To locate a store which carriers their products near you, use this store locator. In the United States, you can also order WORLDFOODS products for home delivery through MyBrands.com.
Full disclosure: While I am not being paid or otherwise compensated to write this entry, I did receive the products for free and dinner that night was paid for by WORLDFOODS. It’s important to me that you know that the opinions expressed in this blog are my own and are not bought or paid for by others.
christao408 
omg… looks amazing ::droool::
ps appreciate the “disclaimer”… full disclosure = honesty is da best policy. super awesome-o!
*drool* Can you make me dinner, too.
I.. AM.. HUNGRY!!..
Free and useful – a rare combination. To have it tasty too, priceless. The purple yams are interesting and I’m curious to see if there are any places around home that carry them…
Now that looks great!! Interesting disclaimer
Healthy meal, I like the sausage combo. Disclaimer was quite considerate of you.
ooooohhhhhh, loooooks sooo inviting
There is a worldfood store in St. Louis and one in Springfield also. I love the combination of the root vegetables. I will try this next time. Thanks Chris. Looks delicious.
@CurryPuffy – @Fatcat723 – @Sinful_Sundae – Well, the Federal Trade Commission requires bloggers to disclose any compensation they receive for endorsements and testimonials. So even if I am not receiving compensation, I want readers to be aware that I’m complying with the law.@murisopsis – The thing I’m not 100% certain of is whether these are techincally yams or not. I know the terms “yam” and “sweet potato” get thrown around and interchanged a lot.@Sinful_Sundae – @beowulf222 – @rudyhou – @maniacsicko – It would have been perfect if we lived in a more wintry clime. But with the air conditioning running, it is almost the same. LOL@ZSA_MD – Dr. Z, I think the store may not be the same as the sauce brand, since they do not own any stores. Perhaps “Whole Foods”?
oh my god that look deliciouss…you must be a pro at cooking…i still have yet to learn how to cook food other than pocket croissants and cup noodle…mad props though. it’s a shame i cant try it
Yes – blast that AC and eat hot pot azn style 2 (do the valley/azn dance… if u know what i mean hehe)
niceeeMSG FTW!!!
I like how you added kale and the sausages, that’s a nice combination.
This looks and sounds so good. I believe it would work with any kind of marinade, resulting in a different flavor emphasis. The last time I roasted beets, they were young, so I left the skin on. We were able to eat the whole beet without peeling. Adding the kale upped the taste, color, and nutrition quotient a lot. Thanks for sharing.
I want to try this dish so much. They should pay you. I’m thinking about ordering it online.
Yes you are right about the store. The store locator did not list St Louis as one of the location. Said sunflower stores carry it but we don’t have those here. Not that I know of.
Hm…… tats the sauce/marinade u talked about……. Sounds quite useful!
@agmhkg – Yes, that’s the one. Turned out our reception was in the same space as we had tea, then dinner after in the restaurant across the way.@awoolham – Well, I really don’t want to be paid because I want readers to feel confident that when I say I like some product or recommend some movie, I am sharing my true feelings, not acting as a shill.@jandsschultz – Sadly, our beets here always look like they’ve been mangled and traveled a long way, even the ones that are local. Plus they cut the greens back too far for packaging, so they begin to dry out.@ElusiveWords – Would have been perfect if it were winter!@yang1815 – FTW?@Sinful_Sundae – I have no idea what you mean. =D@eRicSpellsRice – You’ll learn how to cook. I didn’t really until after college.
yum, sounds delicious! i like the idea of products that are authentic and aren’t filled with tons of weird artificial ingredients, so i should go see if i can find any worldfoods products. i haven’t had a purple yam in a long time… i need to get some!
@kunhuo42 – I have loads of samples they gave me, about 20 bottles! Want me to bring some to the US this week and ship it to you? LOL
@christao408 – would i then be obligated to take pictures and blog about the food? 😉
No wonder they re moved the cakes, I bet they did replace with something else……..
@christao408 – for the win haha.