Rose Petal Preserve and Banana Shake
In my perfect world, children would eat anything and everything the mom makes at home. No whining, no fussing over foods, no hatred for vegetables or fruits and always an appetite for good food. How nicer can it be, right?
Only, for me, it happens in my day dreams!
This is where I did not get lucky, where that castle in the air comes crumbling down and my day dreams crash into harsh reality. Whatever I’ve done, somehow my little girl’s and my intentions are at logger heads with each other when it comes to eating, especially when spelled as FRUITS..
She does not cry for anything, except when I ask her to eat, u guessed it – fruits!
Recently, after a hand blender came as an addition to my kitchen gadgets, in yet another plan to sneak in fruits into her diet, I started churning out smoothies and milk shakes. And, the first fruit of choice for milk shakes was none other than the humble yet mighty Banana.
I would still want her to relish her fruits the right way, but until then…
Rose – a name for beauty, fragrance and color all put in one wonderful nature’s package. Hats off to that someone who thought of immortalizing its deliciousness in a jar!
Gulkhand [Gul – flower; Gulab – Rose in Hindi; khand – sweet] is rose petals preserved in sugar and honey. A health tonic as per Ayurveda, it can be easily made at home if you have access to organic roses non-sprayed by pesticides or other chemicals.
I love relishing Gulkhand just as is, by the spoonful. Ever since I paired it with bananas and milk for my little girl, I’ve become a guzzler of this soothing drink myself!
A few everyday uses of Gulkhand:
Add a spoon to breakfast oats for a special breakfast treat.
Mix it with greek yogurt for a snack with a twist
Include in fruit salads to add a romantic nuance
Replace jaggery with Gulkhand in Rasayana
If you have the habit of unwinding with a warm glass of milk before hitting bed, stir in a spoon of Gulkhand for a relaxing drink. Just don’t make it too hot.
Spread it on whole wheat toast along with Peanut butter or almond butter instead of the same old PBJ sandwich
Of course, because it is sweetened, eating in moderation is always the key.
Owing to its incredibly delicious taste and Gulkhand’s cooling and revitalizing properties, it makes for an excellent summer drink.
Gulkand Banana Shake goes to #IndianFoodPalooza, an event Prerna of Indian Simmer, Kathy Gori of The Colors of Indian Cooking and Barbara of The Creative Culinary are hosting this month to celebrate Indian food.
How do you like to enjoy your dose of Gulkhand?
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 tsp Gulkhand or Rose Petal jam
- 1 cup Milk Almond Milk / Coconut Milk / any Non Dairy Milk or a half-half mix of your choice
- 1 or 2 drops of rose water ~ optional
- crushed pistachios or almonds for garnish ~ optional
-
Blend everything together. Serve chilled garnished with crushed pistachios or almonds
Alter the milk/non dairy milk ratio to suit your taste as well as the desired thickness
Gulkhand has enough sweetness, so no other sweetener is essentially needed
I bought my Gulkhand from the local BAPS store. It can also be found in middle-eastern or persian food stores.
thats a lovely combination…. banana & gulkand. i usually have gulkand straight from the jar as a sweet.
Same here Dassana! Turns out, this is a tasty combination too, I’m hooked myself..
just waiting to make the milk shake tomoro.
This looks yummy! yep I too like to eat it with toast….especially the good old Bangalore way…spread it on a piece of sweet milk bread slice..if you want to really indulge slather butter on top! Good for kids I guess 🙂
Feels like grabbing that glass and have it. Too good
Where do you get these kind of cracked look wooden table tops?
Interesting combo,drink looks refreshing,,
What an interesting post! Even though I detest bananas, I loved the gulkand information – never thought of it in any other way than an ingredient in paan! LOVE your photos.
I have some homemade gulkand made my my grandma.. Will try out this combination soon..
This post is reminding me of summers in Delhi..with thandai & roohafza 🙂 Pics are lovely!
i recently got dry fruits gulkand from bangalore. they areso rich and delicious. all good stuff in it. dates, cashews and the white seeds( i forget the name) . adike li haakirthaaralla adu?
thanks for the post
How can I forget the Butter Gulkhand from that store in Malleswaram Circle, Bangalore!
I could never understand the combination, though the bee line in front of the store said otherwise..
Hi Radhika,
I just clicked over to your blog from the comment you just left on my blog – thank you for the kind words, and I’m so excited to have found your site. I love Indian food so much and my knowledge of how to cook it authentically is really lacking! I’m excited to follow your blog to learn more.
Jeanine,
Thanks for stopping by.. Hope you’ll find interesting things here and look forward to learning from you too..
My My..That is a treat to eyes:-) Cant get enough of it!!
You have such an adorable space here..Awesome clicks! Keep cumg back to ur space to have one more look at ur lovely clicks!
Congratulations on finding a way to encourage your daughter to consume fruits. Who can resist any kind of smoothie! Beautiful photos, Radhika.
love the banana shake with this twist. if she is drinking the shake then i say you are on the right path!
Hi Radhika,
I love banana shakes. The pairing with the rose water is so unique, mu hubby would love it!
the delicate fragrance/essence of rose makes for a romantic drink, Nancy!
This looks absolutely, heavenly, sublime, and simply too good to be true! Rose petals are a favorite of mine and a major trigger of childhood memories..anything with the scent of wild rose or rose petal is like stuff made of dreams to me. I’ll be on the hunt to get some of this. Gorgeous photos AND recipe Radhika!
Shira, it feels so dreamy just to read what you wrote… thanks for letting in on a tiny piece of your childhood memories, they must be precious!
You can try in Indian stores or mediterranean/persian stores..
It is quite easy to make at home, if you some patience and organic roses..
This sounds so good! I am not a fan of banana in smoothies, actually I never eat bananas!! I only enjoy them in bakes. My husband and my daughter both love the fruit.
Alaru eats any fruit is sight! This summer, she has been on a fruit diet lol! One less thing to worry about 🙂
Chin, I can only hope someday my little one turns out like yours in fruit matters.. She won’t touch a fruit, hence my culinary circus!
I say, this is a very nice combination. I read that Gulkand is beneficial to acidic people and bananas are one of the most nutritional fruits. I’ve tried eating Gulkand on its own before but it piques my curiosity to have it mixed with banana.
True. Because of its cooling properties (as per Ayurveda) it is said to be beneficial for stomach ulcers . You must give it a try to see it for yourself… It is nothing short of a tasty, healthy treat..
Hi Radhika,Your recipes are just too good.Great job.Keep posting recipes for more milk shakes especially.
I just have one question.If I prepare the shake overnight and store it in fridge, will it stay good the next day?
Thank you Ramya. Very happy to hear that.
About leaving the shake overnight, it should still be good edibility wise. However, you know, banana tends to discolour and turn brownish. So, i’d say fresh tastes best.