(This is not a paid post. I have been reimbursed in no way by Gulabs. All views and opinions expressed here are my own)
It is not often that I do product reviews. The last I did was for Queens Quinoa in 2017 when I made Curried Quinoa Pumpkin Pancakes using their product. This time I am doing it for a company called Gulabs, a Chennai based company that specialises in a range of handcrafted snacks such as Khakhras, pickles such as tangy lemon pickle and mango pickle, masalas (various spices mixes) from and a very interesting range of syrups. They have launched three variants to their range of sharbats/ syrpus and these include Kesar Badam, Khus and Chili Khus. They offered me a choice for selecting which one I would prefer to review and those who have followed the blog would know how I am a sucker for saffron so obviously I picked up the Kesar Badam (Saffron Almond Syrup)
I like how the syrup smells and tastes so good. It has actual almond powder that has some coarse pieces in it as well for added texture (which I really appreciated). And unlike some other brands, that are watery in consistency, it is thicker and also does not have a synthetic taste. It mixed / dissolved very well in the milk. One can see strands of saffron floating in the syrup and the best part? There are no artificial colors or flavors added to it. Everything is natural and it tasted really delicious in a glass of hot milk with bits and pieces of almonds in it.
Although the directions on the bottle said using 50 ml syrup for 200 ml of milk, I found two teaspoons did the job for me, possibly coz I prefer mild sugar in my food. The syrup has an intense flavour and using it judicious would work in my opinion since saffron as such is a potent spice. While I was adding the syrup to the milk I was wondering how nice it would have been to have a measuring cap to measure out the syrup.
The syrup can be used for various purposes such as adding it to Kheer or Kulfi and of course to hot or cold glass of milk. You can pour some, over your vanilla ice cream or Indian sweets. It would be great with pancakes too. I added it to my bowl of chia pudding and the kesar (saffron) lover in me was certainly not disappointed 🙂 Next I am going to add it to my Oatmeal Porridge.
You can check further details about the company and their other products on their website, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest accounts
Here is how I made Kesar Badam Chia Pudding (Saffron & Almonds Chia Pudding) using the product
150 ml Milk (dairy or dairy free)
2½ tbsp Chia Seeds
1 tbsp Gulabs Kesar Badam Syrup
Mix everything well in a bowl and cover and set aside for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, again mix the contents to ensure that there are no chia seed lumps in the milk.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate it overnight.
Stir the contents again before serving.
Add toppings of your choice (optional)
Enjoy!
Serves – One
Note – Since the syrup has added sugar, I did not need to add any sweetener to the chia pudding.
Note – For toppings, I used some slivered almonds and some finely chopped pistachios. Feel free to add some cranberries or blueberries to it besides a few strands of saffron. It was certainly yum 🙂
Thanks for your visit and see you soon again with another exciting recipe!
I adore chia pudding 🙂 The syrup sounds wonderful.
First of all, I don’t think I should be saying this again and again, but I absolutely adore your clicks. They are just too amazing! I am also like you, a sucker for anything saffron and almond. The chia pudding seems to be a lovely idea, must get to making some without the syrup… hehe… Good to see an authentic product, which is tough these days…
Sounds like a terrific syrup! And I love reviews that are inspired by someone liking the product, and not because they’re “sponsored.” Fun read — thanks.
I love this version of chia pudding using the syrup…lovely color