Toss chicken with ginger garlic paste, turmeric, red chile powder and yogurt. Mix well and leave to marinate for at least 15 minutes.
To make the masala, in a dry skillet, toast poppy seeds and sesame seeds until golden brown. Remove to a bowl.
Add cinnamon, peppercorns and cloves. Toast until it becomes fragrant. Remove to the bowl with the seeds.
Add all of these toasted spices and seeds to a coffee/spice grinder. Grind until you have a fine powder. Transfer to a food processor.
Add garlic to the dry skillet. Toast until the garlic is browned. Add this to the food processor.
Heat oil in a skillet.
Add onion and sauté over medium-low heat until the onions are well browned and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add this to the food processor. Let it cool for a few minutes. Process until you have a thick masala paste.
In a deep skillet or pot, heat oil. Add bay leaves. After 30 seconds, add masala paste. Fry for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add chicken and sauté for 5 minutes.
Add tomatoes and 1 cup water. Simmer until chicken is cooked through.
Add salt and cilantro. Stir to combine.