READ THIS FIRST - IMPORTANT TIPS!!! I got this recipe from a friend, and it is absolutely wonderful. There are no Indian restaurants anywhere in the vicinity, so I had to find something to suffice - and this does the trick!! It's great as a meal (with rice or whatever), and it's also wonderful as a dip to serve guests! Special notes: I would suggest getting the spices from an Indian food store, as they will be better and Indian chili powder is different from what you'd get at the grocery store. Speaking of the chili powder, BE CAREFUL with it. This recipe is very spicy AS IS. I would suggest not increasing the amount unless you want your insides to be on fire. As the recipe is, you'll need lots of water. If anything, decrease the amount. Another thing - if you've never prepared eggplant (I hadn't prior to this recipe), you'll want to peel it, then slice it and salt both sides. Then you'll leave the slices laying out on a paper towel for about 20 minutes to draw out the bitterness. Ghee is clarified butter that you can purchase from an Indian food store, but you can substitute regular cooking oil. Garam masala is a spice blend. I'm not certain what's in it. I bought a pre-made batch. :) As for the vegetable base, it's optional, but I use Superior Touch Better than Bouillon veggie base. You can also put in carrots if you like instead of chickpeas. Yield is a TOTAL guess - I figure this fills about 2/3 of my 5 quart saute pan, and 3 quarts is 12 cups. So there you go.