Coat the fish with salt and turmeric and leave it.

Make a paste of the onion and tomato.

Take a kadai/pan and heat it. To it add about 3 tablespoons of oil.

Once the pan is hot add the fish pieces and fry them on both the sides. Remove the fried fish in a separate bowl.

To the same kadai, add the remaining oil. Once the oil is hot, add the bay leaves, whole cumin, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, pepper corns. Also, add the sugar to the oil and let the sugar caramelize but do not let it burn. Caramelizing the sugar adds wonderful colour to the gravy. Meanwhile, you will also start getting the aroma of the whole spices.

Add the sliced onions and fry them till they become translucent.

Now, add the onion and tomato paste, green chilies, turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder, salt and stir for 1 minute.

Add about ¼ cup of water and continue stirring the spices till you see oil leaving the sides of the pan.

Now, add the fried fish steaks, followed by 1 ½ cups of water and the curd and let the gravy simmer.

Evaporate the water till you see oil leaving the sides of the pan.

Serve with hot steamed rice.