Toasting the spices firstYes, that’s the way my father taught me. Fry the onions (he also fried apple with them) then add the spices and fry them off to release the flavour before adding any other ingredients. My father was in India during the war and brought the recipe home with him, I was weaned on curry but sadly can’t eat it now as my stomach decided it was no longer a good idea, a no-no, damn it.