Chana Masaledar, officially [and really]

I'm handing you the official recipe and my variation. I'm not eating out tonight unless somebody invites me over.

• 6 oz chickpeas, soaked overnight || 2 cans. Drain 'em.
  
• 4 – 5 tbsp. vegetable oil || no, no no...use ghee. Or regular butter, in a pinch.
  
• quarter tsp. whole cumin seeds || a half-thumb
  
• 1 medium size onion, peeled and chopped || medium, large, whatever. Don't chop it too finely.
  
• one – one and a half tsp. garam masala || a thumb, and you better be using homemade garam masala!
  
• 1 tsp. ground coriander || half-thumb to thumb, freshly ground seeds
  
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced || oh no, at least four. Don't be a pussy.
  
• piece of fresh ginger, about half an inch square, peeled and grated || thumb-to-knuckle, and really, who has a ginger grater? Chop it extra-small.
  
• 1 tbsp. tomato puree || or a couple of chopped tomatoes. Whatever.
  
• 1.5 tsp. salt || great big grainy kosher sea salt, if you have it. And why don't you?
  
• 1.4 tsp. cayenne || Oh fergawdsake. Toss in two or three dried chiles. See note on "garlic" re: pussy-ness.
  
• 1 tsp. ground amchoor OR 1 tbsp. lemon juice || no, no, no. There's no OR. Why don't you have amchoor? Sigh. In a pinch, use lemon zest, not juice.
  

Serve with

• 1 firm tomato, washed and quartered
  
• medium onion, peeled, and cut into coarse slivers || I go for green onions here. Easier to get ready, and by now dinner's probably running late and you're running out of beer
  
• 4 fresh hot green chiles || Serranos. Jalapenos. Slice 'em thin.
  
• good handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
  
• chunks of lemon
  

Cook the chickpeas. Put them aside. Heat the fat, add the cumin....add the onion. Pause. Pause again (you're browning the onions, silly.) Lower the heat: add garam masala, coriander, garlic, ginger. Pause. Add tomato. Pause. Add everything else: chickpeas, salt, chiles, amchoor. Cook for half an hour; stir it every once in a while so it doesn't burn. Invite me over while you're setting the table, and crack me open a beer. Serve the chana with all the extra vegetables; every bite can be different....