Chickpea curry

2 large yellow onions, minced
1½ tsp salt
2 serrano peppers, minced
1 tbsp peeled and very finely grated fresh ginger
4 tbsp lemon juice (avoid the stuff in bottles, it imparts an odd flavor to the dish)
6 tbsp vegetable oil
2 roma tomatoes, finely chopped
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground turmeric
2 15oz cans of chickpeas (may be labelled as garbanzo beans)
1¾ cups of water
3 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp garam masala
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp tamarind paste
½ cumin seed
½ mustard seed

Put 2 tablespoons of the minced onions, ½ teaspoon of the salt, the serrano peppers, ginger, and lemon juice into a small bowl. Mix well and set aside.
Add the oil to a heavy, wide pot and set over medium-high heat. When hot, add the cumin and mustard seed; the cumin seed should darken and the mustard seeds “pop” — don’t proceed until that happens.
Add remaining onions and stir and fry for 8-10 minutes until the onion bits develop reddish-brown spots. It’s important to keep the temperature high as you fry the onions, and you should stir continuously with a rubber spatula to keep the onions moving and prevent them from burning.
Add the tomatoes. Continue to stir and fry for another 5-6 minutes, mashing the tomato pieces with the back of a slotted spoon.
Add the coriander, cumin, and turmeric. Stir and cook for about 30 seconds.
Drain the chickpeas and add them to the pot with 1¾ cups of water, the tomato paste, the remaining teaspoon of salt, the garam masala, cayenne, and tamarind paste, if using. Stir to mix and bring to a simmer.
Cover, turn heat to low, and cook gently for 20 minutes. Stir a few times during this period and mash some of the chickpeas with the back of a slotted spoon.
Turn off the heat and add the onions, serrano peppers, ginger, and lemon juice that you set aside earlier.

Estimated, per serving