Ingredients
- 4 Zupan’s Garlic & Herb sausages
Coconut Rice
- 1.5 cups dry basmati rice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (or butter)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 pinches saffron
- 1/4 cup cilantro, minced
- 1 cup canned coconut milk (be sure to shake can well before measuring)
- 1.5 cups water (or chicken broth)
Garbanzo Beans (optional)
- 1 can garbanzo beans
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
Coconut Sauce (optional)
- 3/4 cup coconut milk (approximate), use the remaining amount of coconut milk from rice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
Preparation
Rinse the rice in a fine mesh strainer until water runs clear. Set aside.
Heat your high sided sauce pot (at least 4 quart size) on medium high heat. Add olive oil. When hot, add in minced garlic and coconut and sauté until fragrant (about 2 minutes), stirring constantly to prevent burning.
Add rice, and stir to fully incorporate. Allow rice to toast for at least a minute.
Once rice is toasted, add salt, saffron, cilantro, coconut milk and water (or broth). Stir to incorporate, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to medium low. Allow rice to cook for 10 minutes, then remove cover and stir, being sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to prevent sticking. Recover and allow rice to cook for another 10 minutes, or until rice is tender.
Before serving, add a bit more fresh minced cilantro and stir to incorporate.
To cook sausages: Place sausages in a fry pan and add 1/2 cup of water. Turn to medium high heat and cover. After 4 minutes, uncover and turn sausages. Repeat three more times for a total cooking time of 16 minutes.
Serve sausages sliced over a bed of coconut rice, topped with garbanzo beans & coconut milk sauce (optional).
Optional Garbanzo Beans & Coconut Milk Sauce
To fry garbanzo beans. Drain and rinse a can of garbanzo beans. Set aside. Heat a fry pan on medium high heat, and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When hot, add drained garbanzo beans to pan, along with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of cumin. Stir well to incorporate the spices, then allow to fry, undisturbed, for a minute or so. Stir again, and allow to continue to fry for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
Add the remaining canned coconut milk (about 3/4 cup), 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and orange zest into a sauce pot. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes. Spoon over rice and sausages before serving. (NOTE: If you fried garbanzo beans, remove the garbanzos from the pan and use the fry pan for this coconut milk sauce. It will pick up the additional flavors from tying the beans.)
