Masala (noun.) refers to the mixture of herbs. It is used to indicate spices in India, while, in the west masala is linked to a specific type of sauce made from tomato. Indian cuisine uses masala to enhance the taste and get some rare nutrients in everyday food.
Generally, the common masala used in any food is dhaniya powder (coriander powder), garam masala (whole spice mix), haldi (turmeric powder), hari elaichi (green cardamom), sabut jeera (cumin seeds) and lal mirchi powder (red chilli powder). The herbs like turmeric and cumin seeds are rich in antioxidants and are found in masala box of every Indian kitchen.
Some unique herb combinations are prepared for health benefits. The commonly used Garam masala powder does not contain chilli or salt, it contains aromatic herbs like cloves, ginger powder, nutmeg and cinnamon.
One can get separate combinations of such spices for fish, chicken and lentils recipes. Mirch masala or chilli powder is mostly used separately in most of the dishes to get the hot (tikha) taste as per personal taste.