If you don’t have the luxury of soaking the chanas for 12 hours, then soak the chanas in extremely hot water for as long as you can. The hot water can speed up the softening process and keep them under these conditions for at least 5 to 6 hours, I have always found that 10 to 12 hours is the ideal sweet spot.

Drain, rinse, and boil in water (3 to 4 cups, the target is to keep the chanas underwater, so adjust accordingly) until tender. Add 2 tbsp Ghee (ghee is the topmost option if you really wanna add a deep rich flavor to the dish but you can replace it with avocado oil, coconut oil, or vegan ghee) into it along with ½ tsp red chili powder and 2 Bay leaves.

If you are using a pressure cooker, start with a high flame, but right after 1 whistle (siti), say in about 3 to 4 minutes, reduce it to low flame, and keep it here for 8 to 10 minutes. Check the texture of the chanas after that and adjust as per your need.

In a large pan, firstly heat the pan for a minute then add 2 tbsp olive oil and heat over medium heat for 1 minute.

Add ½ tsp cumin seeds with 2 bay leaves and let them sizzle for a few seconds. ( Be careful that the seeds don’t get accidentally burned, reduce it to low flame if you want)

Add the chopped onions, and cook until they turn golden brown (about 5-7 minutes) at low flame. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.

Prepare a mashed and grinded paste of 5 large garlic cloves, 1 cm ginger, 5 green cardamoms, and 2 chilis (1 green and 1 red, again adjust for personal need).

Mix in the mashed garlic, ginger, cardamom, and chili paste. Cook for 2 minutes until fragrant. You can use chopped chili instead of the grinded version, it’s your choice, I prefer it to be mashed as I find the flavors are better absorbed in the dish when they are grinded and secondly I don’t like stumbling upon small pieces of chilis while eating.

Keep it under low heat and add 1 tsp of turmeric, coriander, cumin powder, and cinnamon powder.

After that, add ½ tsp of red chili powder, Asafoetida powder, smoked paprika (optional), Mace powder(optional), and Amchur powder (optional). Stir well for about 1 minute to release their flavors.

I don’t use amchur powder if I use lemon juice in the dish as I just want a hint of tanginess in the dish, using both can make it slightly tangier than what suits me but you can always experiment around with it depending on your preference).

Pour in the 2 medium pureed tomatoes (if in a hurry you can use tomato paste or grinded tomato as well). Season with salt.

Simmer on low heat until the oil begins to separate from the sauce, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Add the cooked chickpeas to the tomato mixture. Add enough water to just cover the chickpeas (about 1/2 to 3/4 cup).

Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld.

Stir in 2 tsp garam masala and half a lemon juice. Adjust salt to taste.

At low heat, cook uncovered for another 5 minutes to thicken the sauce slightly.

Sprinkle chopped cilantro, onion rings, sliced small tomato, chopped or grinded coconut white meat (copra) part (optional), over the top for a fresh burst of flavor.