If you don't have them or don't like them, you can just leave them out and add a bit more masala. Once I mistakenly used kalonji seeds (which are also black) and it was fine.
BTW. You can saute the onion and spices and then throw everything in the crockpot and cook it on High for 4-5 hrs. Do make sure to grill the eggplant first tho.
[quote author=Gooseberry link=topic=30167.msg352073#msg352073 date=1257359218] 4 cups of stock? that sounds like a hell of a lot of sodium... :o [/quote]
[quote author=HungryHobo link=topic=30456.msg363242#msg363242 date=1261121320] maybe it's just me but there are some really esoteric ingredients in this one. [/quote]
Where I grew up this was known as Seafoam Candy. You can use molasses if you can't get golden syrup. I wonder if brown rice syrup (a healthy exchange for corn syrup) would work?
Cauliflower and Pea Curry