Black Chickpea Curry

From: 'Vij's Elegant and Inspired Indian Cuisine'

Soak 1 cup of dried black chick peas in 3 cups of water with 1/2 tsp of salt overnight. Then boil it with fresh water until softened, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, prepare the masala. Mix it into the chickpeas (don't drain all the liquid) when they're ready, and simmer for a further 10 minutes to get the chickpeas to absorb the flavors.

Masala:

• 1/2 cup ghee
• 1 1/2 Tbsp cumin seeds
• 1 lb chopped onion
• 2 Tbsp finely chopped garlic
• 1 large juicy tomato, finely chopped
• 1 large jalepino, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp garam masala
• 1/2 Tbsp mango powder
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp ground fenugreek
• 11/2 Tbsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup cilantro

Despite having soaked the chickpeas overnight then boiling them for 1.5 hours, they never got as soft as regular chickpeas (though my guests liked it anyways). I wasn't totally into this recipe... I found that these dark chickpeas worked better in chana masala, if anything.