Slow cooked Island Kielbasa with Coconut Rice

I had come across a few different recipes for kielbasa one of which caught my eye but the ingredients seems a bit off and too sweet for a savory dish calling for 2 lbs kielbasa, 2 cups ketchup, 2 cups brown sugar and 1 15 oz can of pineapple chunks in syrup undrained. I like sweets but that seemed overkill but the idea was there and after reading the reviews and and how my suspicions were correct I decided to try a few things. The fact that the title is Island Kielbasa and it had pineapple screamed it needs a balance such as soy sauce but a number of people said it was so saucy they had to add cornstarch and I didn't want to go that route so I thought of a teriyaki marinade. That with the pineapple and a little brown sugar had an island feel so here is what I came up with. I served it on top of plain jasmine rice however I think next time I will serve it on coconut rice(recipe to follow). Note chicken can be used in place of the sausage to make it a more healthy dish.

Slow cooked Island Kielbasa 


3 lb Kielbasa cut in bite sized pieces
12 oz jar of ginger teriyaki marinade sauce
1/2 to 3/4 cup brown sugar
20 oz can of unsweetened pineapple chunks in pineapple juice undrained
1 cup ketchup

Brown up kielbasa on the stove until brown. Set aside. Combine the rest of the ingredients into a crock pot. Stir in kielbasa. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Serve with Jasmine rice or coconut rice*recipe below.


Coconut Rice

2 cups Thai jasmine-scented white rice

2 cups good-quality coconut milk

1 3/4 cups water

2 heaping Tbsp. dry shredded unsweetened coconut 

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. coconut oil, OR vegetable oil

Rub oil over the bottom of a deep-sided pot. You will also need a tight-fitting lid.

Place rice, coconut milk, water, shredded coconut, and salt in the pot and set over medium-high to high heat. Stir occasionally to keep rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning.

Once the coconut-water has begun to gently bubble, stop stirring and reduce heat to low (just above minimum). Cover tightly with a lid and let simmer 15-20 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. To check, pull rice aside with a fork. If most of the coconut milk-water is gone, go on to the next step.

Replace the lid and turn off the heat, but leave the covered pot on the burner to steam another 5-10 minutes, or until you're ready to eat. Tip: Your Coconut Rice will stay warm this way for up to 1 hour or more, great for when you're expecting company!

When ready to serve, remove the lid and fluff rice with a fork or chopsticks. Taste-test the rice for salt, adding a little more if needed.

Enjoy!!
XOXO