🔪 Method

1. Marinate the Fish

• Clean and pat-dry the fish pieces.

• Rub them with salt, lemon juice, turmeric powder. Let rest about 10-15 minutes.

• Optionally, lightly coat with chilli powder + a little fennel or ginger powder.

2. Fry or Sear the Fish

• Heat mustard oil in a pan until it just begins to smoke (to remove raw oil smell).

• Gently fry/sear the marinated fish pieces until golden on both sides. Remove and set aside.
  (This helps the fish hold its shape later on.)

3. Prepare the Masala & Gravy

• In the same oil, add cumin seeds, asafoetida, and the whole spices (cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf). Sauté for a few seconds till fragrant.

• Add sliced onion and sauté till light golden.

• Add ginger-garlic paste, then the dry spices: chilli powder, fennel powder, ginger powder. Stir for a minute.

• If using, add yogurt slowly on low heat, stirring continuously so it doesn’t curdle.

• Add about 1 cup water, bring to a gentle simmer.

4. Dum (Slow Cook) the Fish

• Gently slide in the fried fish pieces into the gravy.

• Cover the pan with a tight lid and cook on very low flame (“dum”) for ~ 10-15 minutes until fish is fully cooked and has absorbed flavour (no need to flip often).

• Towards the end, stir in the saffron-milk if using, adjust salt and gravy thickness.

5. Garnish & Serve

• Garnish with fresh coriander or slit green chillies if desired.

• Serve hot, ideally with plain steamed basmati rice, or a mild pulao/naan to balance the rich gravy.

🍽️ Serving Suggestions

• This dish pairs beautifully with steamed white rice so the fish-spice gravy stands out.

• You might add a simple cucumber-yoghurt raita or salad on the side to refresh the palate.

• Since it’s rich, keep side dishes light and uncomplicated.