Added a star aniseed to the base but didn't result in anything good, just slightly clouded the base, maybe toned it down a bit. Much more effective adding the aniseed in the cooking stage.
Forgot to add, with a new base I did some garlic ginger paste instead of garlic cloves and ginger whole and nothing changed or enhanced. I didn't expect so but read Bruce Chapmans thread I think, stating better results with paste.