Soak the chickpeas for 24 hours in clean cold water.
250 g dried yellow split peas
Drain the chickpeas and put in a pan with the water. Bring to the boil and cook on a moderate heat for approximately 35 minutes or until they are well cooked and have gone mushy.
In a separate pan heat the oil, add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida (if using) and cook for approximately 1 minute taking care not to burn the mixture.