INGREDIENTS:

1 can chickpeas

2 red ripe tomatoes chopped

1 med size onion chopped very fine

3 cloves garlic and 1 inch piece ginger pounded into a paste

1 dried bay leaf

3 Tbs Vegetable/ Canola oil

Salt (to taste )

1 -2 tsp red chili powder

POWDER (or you can use Garam Masala if you can find some):

5 cloves

5 peppercorns

1/2 inch piece cinammon

3 pods cardamom

2 tsp roasted cumin

2 tsp coriander seeds

2 - 3 tbs chopped cilantro for garnish

PREPARATION:

Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan

Put bay leaf in and let it season the oil for a few seconds

Put in the onion and let it cook till it is translucent ( it helps to avoid stirring a lot - cooks faster) and add some salt to season and put in the ginger garlic paste. let the onions barely brown.

Add in the chopped tomatoes and a tiny bit more salt ( to draw the water out of the tomatoes) and cook the whole thing stirring frequently to avoid burning the mix.

The tomatoes should cook down completely and the whole mixture should start to look like a really thick paste. At this point, some of the oil should even seperate from teh mix. This will take about 15 minutes of cooking on a med high flame.

Now put in the garam masala or the spice mix powder, the red chilli powder and the chickpeas. Add some water and as much salt as is still required.

You should have a sauce the consistency of a marinara sauce.

Let the whole thing come to a boil. Taste for salt and tang - you could add a tsp of sugar if it is too tangy or squeeze some lemon/ lime juice in if not tangy enough. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve over hot steaming rice.