For convenience and to make this a super quick meal, we used a can of drained chickpeas. If you wanted to use dried, we recommend soaking them for at least four hours. While this considerably adds to the preparation time, it will result in a curry that has a bit more "bite" to it. Fresher, smaller chickpeas work the best as they soak the best. The older and larger the chickpeas, the longer you will need to soak them.