I don't really do Indian food from scratch so I'll take your word for it apropos of the garlic, sceptic though I am. Dried oregano is indispensable. We've had a dingdong here about dried thyme. I won't use that. I have several pots of lemon thyme in my garden at all times, and that's the stuff I always use. Mint too, though it needs a bit of management if you want it in winter. I have a pot of sage, though I seldom use it, and there's always a rosemary bush if I need a sprig or two for roast lamb or for Mediterranean roast potatoes with whole garlic cloves. It's fresh or nothing. We appear to agree on other dried stuff. The point is that you can always leave herbs out if you haven't got fresh. Another good thing to do is think ahead and freeze chopped herbs. I always have some frozen parsley. As for basil, you can buy windowsill pots all year found. It's admittedly not quite as good as your own, but it's not bad at all. I've found that most cooked dishes that require basil don't suffer too much if you just leave it out. Basil is indispensable for tearing raw on to tomato and mozzarella salads, on certain pizzas and on bruschetta toppings. The baby leaves are always the best. And pesto of course. Basil cooked for a long time might as well not be there, unless you go for the abominable dried version. Note that Marcella agrees with me on this!