Bengali Butternut squash with chickpeas

Saw this on tv and decided to try it and I even had all the ingredients in the house - isn't that amazing?! Easy to make, once you've got all the ingredients together.

Ingredients:

3 ysp veg oil; large (? - be careful!)  pinch ground asafoetida; 1 bay leaf; 

1/2 tsp panch phoran = Bengali five spice (or just equal amounts of fenugreek, nigella seeds, fennel seeds, cumin, mustard seeds ); 

1-2 mild dried chilies (or dried chili flakes, which is what I use); 

1 small onion, chopped; 

1/2 tsp turmeric (kunjit); 

2 level (oh, really?) tsp ground cumin (sorry, I only use the seeds these days);

1 heaped tsp ground coriander; 

2 tsp ginger paste; 

500 gr butternut squash (I found a small one which cost 50p and it was perfect - so easy to peel and very few seeds, relatively), cut into 4 cm cubes;

200 ml boiling water (oh, didn't look at this, just put in what was needed!);

200 gr canned drained chickpeas ( I used dried ones and soaked and cooked them); 

1 tsp garam masala;

1 tsp ground (or not!) fennel seeds

salt and sugar to taste.

So, having got all that lot together, the rest is easy:

1. Fry asafoetida, bay leaf, panch phoran and chilies in oil for 1-2 mins
   
2. add chopped onions and coat with spices until softened and golden brown
3. add turmeric, cumin and coriander, salt, sugar and ginger - stir well. Add a splash of boiling water and cook a further minuter or two; 
4. Add butternut squash and more boiling water; bring to boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until squash is tender (approx. 10-15 min)
5. Add chickpeas, garam masala, fennel seeds and water (if necessary)
6. Sir well and cook for a further 1-2 mins to warm through. 
7. Serve immediately, e.g with rice.

Bon appétit!