Saffron Fix Subscription Box Review + Coupon – March 2017

Saffron Fix is a meal subscription box that specializes in Indian cooking. They ship every two weeks, and you can choose whether to receive 2 or 3 recipes in every box. Every box contains all of the ingredients you need to make the featured recipes.

This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

This review is of the Non-Vegetarian, 2 recipes, $50 every other week, box.

The Subscription Box: Saffron Fix

The Cost: Recipes begin at $10 per serving. More specific pricing information can be found here.

The Products: “Receive fresh ingredients, spices, naan/breads, and rice, to cook 2 new delicious recipes, each serving 2 people. Each recipe comes with an easy-to-follow recipe card to cook a delicious meal in under 30 minutes.”

Ships to: Saffron Fix currently ships to 21 states (plus Chicago and Atlanta). Here’s a map of the current delivery area:

Discover more meal boxes in the Meal Subscription Box Directory!

Keep track of your subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription box list or wishlist!

My food arrived in an insulated box packed with cool packs to keep the perishable items chilled. The ingredients for each dish were wrapped in a labeled plastic bag.

Naan and rice were both included, and the chicken and paneer were packed separately in the bottom of the box, nestled under the cold packs.

Meal #1-  Mughlai Shahi Paneer

Calories Per Serving: 500 (entree only)

Cook Time: 30 minutes

The first dish I picked for this shipment was Mughlai Shahi Paneer. I’m a HUGE fan of paneer, so I was excited to try this recipe. The dish is made with cashew butter, yogurt, and saffron.

Here’s a picture of the back of the recipe card that breaks down every step of the cooking process:

All of the prep for this dish was done. (Woo hoo!) No cleaning and chopping were necessary, so I got right to cooking.

My Saffron Fix box came with both rice and naan, and based on the photos of the completed dishes, I initially thought the naan was for this first dish and the rice was for the second. After reading through the cards, though, it was pretty clear that I should use both rice and naan for each dish.

The steps were easy to follow, and the dish came together in less than 30 minutes, as promised. The only issue I had with the recipe is that I was never prompted to season the dish with salt. This led me to think that one of the provided ingredients contained salt, but when I tasted the dish before serving it was clear that wasn’t the case. I added some at the end, which was fine, but I think seasoning while cooking would have better enhanced the flavors.

I divided the curry into two small bowls, and I served it alongside rice and naan. This dish was gorgeous, but it didn’t blow me away. Looking at the array of ingredients sent, I expected layers of flavor and a rich, creamy sauce; however, the flavor was a bit flat and the texture of the sauce was a little gritty. (When I cook at home, I’m always careful about making sauces with yogurt. I typically add it at the very end and cool the sauce first to make sure it doesn’t break. This recipe instructed to add the yogurt and then simmer for 10 minutes, and I think the heat caused the sauce to split.)

Meal #2- Chicken Korma

Calories per Serving: 450 (entree only)

Cook Time: 40 minutes

My second meal pick was Chicken Korma, one of my all-time favorite Indian dishes.

Again, all of the ingredients came pre-prepped, and the only thing I had to do before cooking was marinate the chicken.

Including the marinating time, this dish was ready in about 40 minutes.

I followed the instructions for this dish carefully, so I was a little disappointed that mine turned out looking quite a bit different from the provided picture. There was a lot less sauce (and I actually added a bit more water than the recipe called for to keep it from drying out), the color was different, and I experienced the same curdling from the yogurt that I saw in the first dish.

Again, this dish didn’t blow me away, unfortunately. It contained saffron, rose water, fried onions, cashew paste, and raisins, but it lacked the brightness and freshness I expected from that combination of ingredients. As I mentioned above, Chicken Korma is one of my favorite Indian dishes, and this version fell short of my expectations.

Verdict: I was really looking forward to trying out Saffron Fix, and I’m disappointed that I didn’t have better luck with my recipes. The ingredients I received all seemed fresh and tasty, so I think the issues I ran into are the result of the provided cooking instructions. I just can’t get over how different my dishes (especially the korma) looked from those depicted on the recipe cards. I think this box has a ton of promise, so I hope that tweaks are made to help ensure that subscribers are able to produce successful dishes that look like those promised.

Do you subscribe to Saffron Fix? Have you tried any of the meals I picked this week? Did you have better luck with them?