Fish Curry (asian style)

A friend have been bugging me for this recipe. My computer have been "sick" and I have been trying to play doctor thus the delay in posting this. This dish was typically asian and we called it "Indian Fish Curry" because of the rich spices. There are many variants out there and we can argue until the cow come home on which district and which ethnic group curry is better than the other. However, this is my version, and just for record, this dish have no coconut milk or milk. Its tangy, sourish but lots of spices that just balanced everything in the right note. You get that afternote from the curry leaves, that after taste from the cinnamon stick and star anise, you get that spice from the curry powder and everything is so well matched that you just can't get enough. This dish can be eaten with rice or bread. 

Ingredients:

Fish (be it slices or whole fish)
3 cloves garlic (sliced)
2 pcs onion (sliced)
1 stick cinnamon stick
2 pcs star anise
a pinch of cumin seeds
3-4 table spoon curry powder (more if you like it spicy, I do!!)
5-6 tb spoon of tamarind juice ( lemon juice can do too)
few leaves of curry leaves
3 tb spoon of oil
1 1/2 cup of water (estimated)

Instructions:

Heat up oil, fry the cinnamon stick, star anise, cumin seeds and curry leaves for a few seconds. Add in the onion and garlic and sautéed till brown. Add in the curry powder and fry till fragrant. You can see that it is turning into a paste. Keep on stirring otherwise it will be burnt and stick to the bottom of the pot. We don't want that. Add in water bit by bit and stop till you get your desired thickness of the gravy. Add in the fish and tamarind (or lemon) juice and let the gravy boil to perfection. Season with salt to taste. Serve with warm rice and eat your fill. 

You can add bell peppers or tomatoes in this dish. Potatoes will do too!