Heat oil in a wide shallow pan.
Add whole spices, bay leaf and dry whole red chili peppers to the oil. Saute for a minute or until it starts to form aroma.
Add cumin seeds and saute until they start to turn color to deeper brown.
Add chopped onions, garlic and ginger along with a pinch of salt. Saute till the onions are completely translucent.
Add tomato sauce, mix well. Add other spices listed above, mix well and cook till it starts to simmer. Stir frequently.
Rinse canned chickpeas, add it to the sauce without any liquid.
Mix well and cook it for couple of minutes.
Add steamed rice, mix well gently, making sure the rice does not break or gets mushy. Leftover rice works the best for this recipe, specially al dente, not mushy rice. Taste it and add more salt/spices if needed.
Cover it and cook for a minute or two.
Garnish it with cilantro and serve it hot with side of raita!