Fatehpur Sikri beckons, as does Kadhai Jhinga

Before we left Delhi, Anita thrust a beautifully written and researched paper on Fatehpur Sikri into my hands. It had a grade of A+ and was written in 18951995 as part of her course work in Dorothy-land. It was also the only copy that existed of that paper. I knew I should have asked for a photocopy, especially since I had just burned her sheets.

You know what's coming next, don't you? And you're right.

I couldn't find it once we settled into our hotel room in Agra.
We turned the car inside out. No paper.
We turned the room inside out. No paper.

My husband, The Finder of Anything Lost or Put Away Safely, discovered all sorts of forgotten knick-knacks, like a long wooden shoe horn, hair brushes, pens, one of a pair of earrings, but no folder with continuous stationery paper that had been fed into a dot-matrix printer. Tell me, do you remember those? In that case, you are as ancient as her (and me.) But that's besides the point! We asked room service to do detailed reconnaissance to no avail.

The Finder and I looked at each other; he, flummoxed; me, worried. I chewed through all my fingernails and wondered if I should attack my toenails next. My heart sank further as I realized I would never ever get to eat authentic haak. Or taste that one mutschgand that was sitting in her freezer.

If she heard a strain in my voice or undue stress when I spoke to her from Agra, she made no mention of it. Luckily for her, me and the paper, it appeared magically under one of our heaviest suitcases. The Finder obviously had not done as thorough a job as he is wont to do, leading to his demotion and change of title to The Finder of Most Things Lost or Put Away Safely. With a spring in my step, haak in my near future and a mutschgand with my name on it, I had no qualms about leaving Agra for Fatehpur Sikri, the seat of the Mughal Empire for a brief period during Akbar's reign.

The Tomb of Salim Chisti

Legend has it that Salim Chisti, a Sufi saint, told Akbar that his dry spell as a procreator of heirs would be fulfilled shortly and Akbar was soon blessed with not one, but three sons. To show his gratitude, Akbar built the city of Fatehpur Sikri around Salim Chisti's camp, only to be abandoned within 10 years and left near-intact. Some historians say it was due to water shortage, others say that it was not quite as centrally located as Agra Fort.

Like a veil

Even today, people throng to the tomb of Salim Chisti looking for that blessing and the elusive heir. They buy colored thread from the only vendor outside the tomb who warns them of doom if their money does not find its way into his pocket. He also sells glittery scarves for at least Rs. 500 that must be placed on the shrine inside the tomb. We are such spoilsports that we passed on both urgent offers but there was more — we needed to cover our heads in deference to the Islamic practice when stepping into a place of worship. We decided to take turns going in as we only had one large handkerchief between us but that wasn't necessary as we were offered plastic hats for free, as soon as we stepped into the tomb.

The Jama Masjid stands next to the tomb

In case you're thinking that the birds say cheep cheep to us, we did donate some money once inside, which I hope goes towards the upkeep of the place. I am pretty sure that the glittery scarves find their way back to the vendor by nightfall to sell to some unsuspecting tourist the next day. Everyone has a living to make, just as everyone has the right to make choices about how to spend their hard-earned money.

seeking heirs

This post celebrates Salim Chisti for leading Akbar to build one of the most beautiful fortresses in the history of India. And, a new lease on life for me!

Given their initial nomadic lifestyle and their long journeys during wars, the Mughals must have eaten seafood even though most of the recipes are for kebabs, meat roasts and braises. In that spirit, here's a recipe for spicy shrimp, Kadhai Jhinga, adapted from the trusted Prashad, Cooking with Indian Masters.

Kadhai Jhinga

Perfect for tapas

• 1 lb shrimp
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1/2 large white onion, chopped fine
• 1/2 tbsp grated garlic
• 3 whole dried red chillies
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp ajwain or carom seeds
• 3 roma tomatoes, chopped small
• 1/2 can tomato paste
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 2-3 hot Thai bird chillies, sliced vertically down the middle
• 3/4 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp red chilli powder (optional)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp kasoori methi (optional)
• salt to taste
• water as required
• cilantro for garnish

shrimp

1. In a medium kadhai, heat oil and add chopped onions. Sauté until they turn a beautiful golden in color. Add some salt so that the onions lose their water content a little more quickly.
2. Pound coriander seeds and dried red chillies into a coarse powder using your mortar-pestle. This makes me sneeze every time without fail, so protect your nasal passages appropriately if, like me, you are sensitive, too! Or use your spice grinder.
3. Add grated garlic and stir well.
4. Add coarse powder of coriander seeds and red chillies, and ajwain. Stir well.
5. Add chopped tomatoes and tomato paste, with about 1/4 cup water. Mix well.
6. Add grated ginger, green chillies, garam masala. Cook stirring frequently until the mixture thickens and "oil leaves the sides." This is your masala. Adjust the seasoning at this point. If necessary, add some red chilli powder to up the heat.
7. Add shrimp and stir so that the shrimp are coated well with the masala. Cook on medium heat until the shrimp are cooked. Do not overcook the shrimp unless you like them that way.
8. Stir in lemon juice and kasoori methi, if using.
9. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with your favorite Indian bread.

I dare you to stop at three

Notes:

• I like to serve this as is, without any accompanying bread. And that has nothing to do with the grain-free brigade, for I do love my bread. To me, that space in my belly occupied by rotis or naan is space that could have been gainfully used by more shrimp!
• The original recipe calls for 4tbsp of ghee.
• You can't go wrong with an onion-tomato-ginger-garlic base for this dry-ish sauce. Ajwain and coriander seeds add that additional dose of flavor.

It's hard to stop eating this, with or without bread. This was supposed to be dinner last night but by the time I looked into the kadhai, there were only 4 shrimp left and not much masala either. I melted when she said, But it was really good, Mumma!