I have a (good, so far) recipe book in front of me, and a recipe for Chick Pea and Pepper Stew that I've not tried yet. The first four instructions read:
1. Drain the chick peas through a sieve
2. Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry gently the onion and the garlic for 2-3 minutes, until softened
3. Add the peppers and cook for another 2-3 minutes
4. Add the drained chick peas, and season with salt and pepper. Simmer gently for 10 minutes
Now, is my culinary imagination not up to scratch, or will I not actually have enough liquid to actually simmer anything at that point? The next two steps are to add yoghurt to thicken it up, and serve. I can't quite imagine this coming out as a stew, somehow...
http://www.helenrennie.com/recipes/sides/chickpea_stew.html
I'd add a liquid of your choice between steps 3 and 4, only just covering the veg. You want get a bit of heat on the peppers before adding liquid, allowing the garlic to work it's magic on them :D