© Ashy Macbean 2003.
Agra is in North India just south of Delhi. It's a popular tourist destination primarily because of the Taj Mahal, which really is one of the wonders of the world. I've seen it three times and each time it seemed more beautiful than the previous time. It's not so big and the architecture isn't complex or intricate. In fact, at first sight, it's beauty lies in its simplicity. People say it's best at sunrise or sunset and maybe it is, but visit any time of the day and you'll be impressed. There's a high, fortress-like wall all round and you can't see the Taj until you get inside. The wall is rugged and quite impressive itself, made from enormous blocks of red sandstone and crenellated along the top. It's immediately forgotten however, as you enter through the southern gate and the sight of the Taj hits you straight in the face. You have to stop to take it in. It has an unreal quality, like looking at a mirage. It's perfect proportions and symmetry are almost overwhelming and when you recover and decide to take a closer look you'll have to squeeze by the other visitors standing in the doorway stunned at the sight before them. When you get right up close there's another surprise. The whole building is covered in intricate floral patterns and Koranic scripture, all created with semi-precious stones inlaid into the white marble. Once inside, you notice yet another facet of the design. Light is admitted into the central chamber through delicate latticework screens carved from single slabs of stone. If you're ever anywhere near this part of the world you should try to see the Taj Mahal.
Aside from the Taj, however, Agra is a dump. It's full of bent rickshaw wallahs and touts who will tell you anything to score a commission from a hotel, restaurant or marble shop. This is not to say every one in Agra is crooked - of course not. Far from it, but unfortunately as a tourist, 90 percent of the people you meet between the train station and the Taj Mahal will be. The problems have been exacerbated in the last two years by the Architectural society of India's decision to increase the admission fee from about ten rupees to over 500 for foreigners, leading to less tourists and increasingly underemployed and more desperate touts. I'll go back to the Taj a fourth time, it's worth it, but I'll leave it for a while yet. I passed through Agra on my last two visits to India but I did it as fast as possible.
Agra peas. That's how I got started on the subject of the Taj Mahal. What's the connection with peas? I don't know exactly, I didn't name the dish. Maybe it's a traditional Agra dish. That would seem logical, but I picked this recipe up from the back of a packet in a supermarket in Chennai. I'll explain.
When Sveta and I were in Chennai visiting our daughter, we did a bit of exploring using auto rickshaws. Since we didn't know our way around well and didn't know many street names, we used various well known and obvious landmarks to navigate by. Singapore Shopee supermarket was one of them and one time when we used it as a drop, we actually went inside to get change to pay the rickshaw driver. By the door on the way out I noticed a revolving display of boxes of pre-cooked food. The boxes contained the type of sealed plastic pouches which you can reheat in ten minutes by soaking them in boiling water. They're probably fairly good. I don't know. I didn't try any. I just blagged the list of ingredients off the back of one which caught my attention. I had an intuitive stab at the method of preparation and the result was rather successful. Here's my recipe.
Ingredients
200-250g of green peas (fresh or frozen)
1 bunch of spinach
1 or 2 cloves of garlic
A small piece of root ginger
1 tsp. of coriander seed
A large handful of cashew nuts
A small bunch of green coriander
A large pinch of dried methi leaves
2 or 3 dessertspoons of cream (or yoghurt)
Salt
Vegetable oil
Wash and chop the spinach. Put it in a pot and sprinkle the peas on top. Put a lid tightly on the pot and steam for about ten minutes on a medium heat (the water adhering to the spinach after washing should be enough to stop it burning). While the pot is simmering away, peel the garlic and ginger. Finely chop the ginger and chop the garlic anyway you like. Using a pestle and mortar, grind the coriander and methi then add the garlic and ginger and pound it all together.
Heat some oil in a frying pan and fry the spice mixture for about thirty seconds before adding the cooked spinach and peas and a little salt. Add a splash of water and cover the pan. Turn the heat down to medium.
Pound the cashew nuts with the green coriander (chop it roughly first) until you have a reasonably smooth paste, then stir in the cream. Add the mixture to the frying pan and stir it in. Thin with a little hot water from the kettle if necessary and turn off the heat. There you go. Agra peas.