In a thick bottom pan, heat the oil and add the cloves and cinnamon stick, allow the oil to become infused with warm aromatic notes from the spices.
Next, add the mustard seeds and allow them to sizzle in the pan.
When the mustard seeds have popped, add in the cumin and fenugreek seeds and also allow them to sizzle and crackle. You know when the seeds are ready when they start popping and releasing their aromatic oils.
Once all of the spices have sizzled, add in the fresh ginger and garlic and stir in the hot oil for 10 seconds, then add in the fresh curry leaves. Careful as they will splutter in the hot oil.
Add in the diced onion and fry until soft and browned, stirring often. For this dish, in particular, you want to have the onions golden brown. This will take a good 20-25 minutes.
Next, add in the sliced green chilli, mix in well with the onions and fry for 1 minute.
We have now started to layer our flavours, so once the fresh spices have been cooked out, it is time to go in with the powdered spices and add depth to the sauce. Add the turmeric, cumin, coriander and paprika to the pan and mix well.
It is important to cook out spices because if they are left raw, your curry will have a harsh flavour as well as a powdery/grainy sauce.
The powdered spices will dry out your pan, so to stop your pan from burning, add a splash of water to keep the pan moist, this will also help the spices cook out, at this stage add approximately 100ml.
Once your spices are cooked, add in the tomato puree and mix well. Tomato puree is generally quite concentrated and can be quite sharp if not cooked out properly so make sure you mix it in well with your onions and spices.
Next, add in the chopped tomatoes, stir well, reduce the heat to a medium flame and put a lid on your pan to allow the tomatoes to cook quicker. You can use tinned tomatoes if you prefer to.
You will know when the tomatoes are ready because the flesh will start to melt and the whole mix will come together nicely as a sauce. The tomatoes should take a good 12-15 minutes in the pan.
Once the tomatoes have all softened add in the drained chickpeas, mix in well, pour in the remaining water and sugar, place on the lid and allow to simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes.
The Masala should be almost ready now, to add 1 final flavour dimension to the flavour of this curry, add in the garam masala and lemon juice.
Check the taste and consistency of the sauce, if you are happy with the seasoning; saltiness and sweetness, and the looseness of the sauce, add the coriander for a citrusy freshness.
Remove from the heat and serve with either fresh naan bread or plain boiled basmati rice.