Bengali butternut squash with chickpeas

Name: Bengali butternut squash with chickpeas
Ingredients: 3 tbsp vegetable oil; large pinch ground asafoetida; 1 bay leaf; ½ tsp panch phoran (a blend of equal quantities of fenugreek, nigella seeds, fennel seeds, cumin and mustard seeds), available from Asian supermarkets, also known as Bengali five-spice; 1-2 mild dried red chillies; 1 small onion, chopped; ½ tsp ground turmeric; 2 level tsp ground cumin; 1 heaped tsp ground coriander; 2 tsp ginger paste (available from Asian supermarkets, or make your own by crushing or blending fresh ginger to a rough paste, adding water if necessary to loosen); 500g/1lb 2oz butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, flesh cut into 4cm/1½in cubes; 200ml/7fl oz boiling water; 200g/7oz canned chickpeas, drained and washed; 1 tsp ground garam masala; 1 tsp ground fennel seeds; salt, to taste; sugar, to taste