I,m about to try the secret Santa's spice mix,is the "spice mix" only to be used in the final stage of the curry making.
Yes. spice mix is only used at frying stage.
this is a good method to follow http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1851.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1851.0)