Fish cakes with tomato sauce (Machchi na cutless) – Mr Todiwala's

Ingredients

• 2-3 tbsp sunflower or rapeseed oil
• 2 x 2.5cm/1in piece cinnamon stick
• 2 large whole dried red chillies, broken into three or four pieces (seeded, if liked)
• 3-4 cloves (optional)
• 2 smallish onions, finely chopped
• 1 heaped tbsp ginger and garlic paste (or 4 garlic cloves, crushed and 2 tsp grated fresh ginger)
• 4-5 tomatoes, chopped (or a 400g/14oz can chopped tomatoes)
• 1 tbsp malt vinegar
• 1 tbsp jaggery or muscovado sugar
• ½ tsp tamarind paste (optional)
• salt, to taste
• 250g/9oz white fish fillet, skinned
• 1 large green chilli, finely chopped
• 2.5cm/1in piece fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 6-8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• 1 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 free-range egg
• 2 slices white bread, soaked briefly in water and squeezed out
• salt and pepper
• 100g/3½oz plain flour
• 2-3 free-range eggs
• oil, for shallow-frying