Home-maker Seema Gupta feels it is good that vegetables are available now in plenty -- and affordable too.
Green vegetables are particularly healthy in winter, she says. "Hot soups steaming and topped with cream are now part of all parties.
"Carrots and moolis with beetroot and tomatoes offer a variety of choices. The matar (green peas) is selling cheap, as also cauliflower."
Agra's aloo-ki-tikki called bhalla, filled with dry fruits, continues to be a hot favourite of tourists visiting the Taj Mahal and other monuments.
But some traditional "chaat joints" are making way for vendors selling egg omelette.
"The increasing tribe of drunkards need something solid and tasty. Eggs provide a solid cover between each shot," explains Anandji, who runs such an outlet at the busy Paliwal Park crossing.
According to restaurant and hotel owners, consumption of non-vegetarian food has shot up.
"Chicken and biryanis khokhas are now visible everywhere. This was not the case earlier as Agra was essentially a vegetarian area," food lover Sudheir Gupta told IANS.
"But now there is space for all kinds of food, including south Indian and Chinese. We have the Agra dosa filled with dry fruits and topped with grated cheese," Gupta added.
While the traditional halwais are firmly entrenched and experimenting with newer flavours and ingredients, junk food joints find they have enough space for growth.
"A few years ago we felt the halwais would fail to meet the challenge of the new generation outlets offering fast food, but the jalebi-kachauri and laddoos still hold on along with Agra ka petha," said Gupta.
At the same time, pizzas and burgers keep climbing the popularity chart in the Taj city.
Want to beat the winter? Welcome to Agra, the food city!
