Ah, yes, kaffir lime. I consider that to be Thai cuisine and I don't cook thai (allergic to coconut), so that's not something I've ever used. I can see that if you cook Thai that you wouldn't use that much outside of that cuisine. Methi is just fenugreek, and I do use that for other dishes, but don't use it fresh. I use turmeric and cardamom, too, in other things. Garam masala is just a mixture of spices, so I make my own. Same with curry, which is a mixture.
I guess all I'm saying is that those who might be new to Indian cooking shouldn't be put off by the spices or by the COST of spices because they really are quite common and will not go to waste if you cook a variety of cuisines. Even if you just cook Mexican at home, many of the spices will cross those borders. I know that my Indian friends say that when they talk to people about their native foods that overwhelmingly, the spices are what put people off of trying to cook it at home. It's such a healthy diet and I just wanted to point out that it's not difficult, the spices are not complicated even though they use a lot, and it's not cost-prohibitive (or waste-inducing because you're really not going to throw all of those spices away). You probably have 90% of what you need already in your spice cupboard.
