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1
Place the chickpeas in a large pan with 500ml of warm water and boil for about 5 minutes over a high heat.
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2
Remove from the heat and set aside, still in their cooking water.
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3
Heat 4 teaspoons of oil in a small pan for 30 seconds over a low heat, then stir in the coriander seeds, cinnamon, red chillies, cloves, peppercorns, bay leaves and 1 teaspoon of the cumin seeds.
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4
Fry the spices for 5 minutes or so, until dark brown, stirring continuously so that they don't burn, then set this garam masala aside to cool.
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5
Heat the remaining 75ml of oil in a large pan for a minute over a medium heat, then add the other teaspoon of cumin seeds and fry until they start to brown.
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6
This only takes a minute or two, so be careful not to overcook or burn them.
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7
Stir the onion paste into the cumin seeds (watch out, as the oil may spit) and fry until dark brown, stirring regularly to avoid sticking or burning - I usually stir, cover the pan, and leave the mixture to cook for a minute before stirring again, repeating this 5 or 6 times until the onion is done.
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8
Crush the ginger using a pestle and mortar (or a blender), to make a fine pulp.
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9
Stir the tomatoes into the onions, followed by the ginger, salt, red chilli powder, turmeric and sugar, then increase the heat to high.
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10
Stir in the chickpeas with their cooking water, along with an additional 300ml of warm water, then cover the pan and leave to simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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11
While the chickpeas are cooking, finely grind the cooled roasted spices in a blender or with a pestle and mortar.
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12
Add to the chickpea mixture, stir, then remove the pan from the heat.
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13
Sprinkle with the chopped coriander, then cover the pan again and leave to rest for around 10 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse.
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14
Reheat over a medium heat until piping hot, then serve.
