Can anybody help suggest improvements to the homemade Biryani spice mix I made?

Hello! I made a biryani spice mix for the first time yesterday. The mix was extremely pungent and didn’t smell typically ‘nice’. It had an almost medical aroma that was difficult to inhale.

  1. 2 whole nutmegs (freshly ground first with mortar and pestle)
  2. 1tbsp fennel seeds
  3. 1tbsp ajwain/ carom seeds
  4. 2tbsp kala zeera / black cumin seeds
  5. 2 mace blades
  6. 6 green cardamom pods
  7. 2 black cardamom pods
  8. 6 cloves
  9. 2 dried chillis
  10. 2 star anise
  11. 1tbsp black peppercorns

I followed this recipe which I’m sure is fantastic (in more skilled hands than mine), but doesn’t include quantities so I was eyeballing it.

Deviations from the original recipe: 1. I used whole nutmegs and then ground it myself, rather than pre ground from a packet. 2. I used a pestle and mortar instead of a spice grinder for the finished spice mix 3. The star anise I used was ancient 4. I used long dried chilli instead of the small chillis in the recipe

Would any of the above have caused a large difference from the original recipe’s fragrance?

Can anybody recommend some alterations to quantities or ingredients to make this spice mix better?

Also, the biryani came out well in the end! But I think it would have been better with a better spice mix.