Spice – Fresh spices vs Dried spices

There is no chemical difference between adding salt early or late in the cooking process. However, if you salt just before eating, you can take advantage of textural differences between different types of salt. (Kosher salt is flakier and so gives a burst of saltiness that is quite pleasant.) (Some people will say that you should salt earlier to bring out flavors more, but once the salt is dissolved in solution, the chemical effect is the same.)

In general, fresh herbs tend to be added later in the preparation -- with the exception of parsley or dill added to soup early on to flavor the broth. However, if the herbs are added early, they must be removed, since they will lose all their flavor. (The broth will gain flavor, but the herbs will be exhausted.) You'll maintain the bright flavor if you add them late.

Dried herbs tend to react better to longer cooking, with bay leaves in particular requiring lots of time to render out their flavor.

As far as pepper goes, there's a fantastic answer to this question that goes into the chemistry of the volatile compounds in the spice. In general, I find that I prefer adding pepper later in the cooking process.

Garlic, ginger, onions, and other aromatics can be cooked a long time, although the flavor of alliums will change enormously as you cook them. (Garlic, in particular, will change enormously from a sharp flavor when raw or quickly cooked to a rich sweetness when cooked a long time.)

Your mix is just a chili powder with a fruity flair.

As a rule of thumb, chili powder contains large amounts of chilis, cumin, and either garlic or onion. Other flavors come and go and appear in varying quantities. The ingredients in your mix that are not typical are the amchur, coriander, and cinnamon. Cinnamon with chili powder is not unheard of and results in familiar flavors but it isn't often included in standard recipes.

The amchur, dried and powdered unripe mango, and the coriander would impart fresh, fruity notes that are not typical but sound delightful!

AB's is a decent standard chili powder recipe:

• 3 ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded and sliced
• 3 cascabel chiles, stemmed, seeded and sliced
• 3 dried arbol chiles, stemmed, seeded and sliced
• 2 tablespoons whole cumin seeds
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

I was able to find a recipe that looked more similar to yours- that is with coriander and cinnamon:

• 5 dried Guajillo chilies
• 2 dried Chipotle chiles
• 4 Arbol chiles (or other thin red spicy chiles)
• 1 Tbs paprika
• 1 Tbs coriander seed
• 1 Tbs cumin seed
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tsp Mexican oregano
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp black peppercorns

Start with this recipe and modify it to your taste. For example I would probably double the cumin and leave out the black pepper as I don't think it fits here. If the flavor of the mango was distinctive in your mix it could be added to taste without adversely affecting the mix. If you don't want your mix to be too spicy then you should stick with milder dried peppers. Many dried peppers are surprisingly mild and fruity. Don't just leave them out because they do make up a bulk of the flavor and the magic.

Notice that both recipes call for no salt. Commercial spice mixes include a lot of salt as cheap filler. You should salt your dish to taste and not add it in your spice mix. By mixing this yourself you will also be able to use freshly toasted and ground spices which will taste much better.