Indian Potatoes, Cauliflower and Peas attempt #1

So putting my new shelf in my kitchen resulted in me finding the whole stash of spices I got from the indian spice store. Being that I got all the spices, I figure I should try and use them. I started with this recipe from epicurious with my own tweaks and stuff. It came out very mild and I don't understand why. This is the second recipe that I have tried that came out really mild even though I doubled the amount of all the spices that were called for in the original recipe. I'll have to play around some more and figure out what my issue is. My first pic using my new laptop! Also notice my pretty new Calphalon pan.

Ingredients:

vegetable oil - enough to coat the pan

1 T ginger

6 small russet potatoes, large dice

1 bag broccoli and cauliflower florets, thawed

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 t chili powder

1 t paprika

2 t turmeric

water, enough to cover everything in about an inch

1/2 cup frozen peas

Recipe:

Coat a large nonstick skillet with vegetable oil and heat over medium heat. Add the potatoes and ginger. I had added the garlic at this point although in retrospect I think it would have been better to wait to make sure the garlic doesn't burn. Toss to coat and cook for a few minutes until potatoes begin to soften. The epicurious recipe called for browning but mine didn't brown after about 10 minutes and the garlic was close to burning so I decided to move on. Add the broccoli, cauliflower and all the spices. Add water so that it comes up about an inch from the bottom of the pan. The vegetables are not completely covered. Stir so the spices are well mixed and cover. Allow to cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are cooked through. Add the peas and stir together. The starch from the potatoes starts to break down and thicken the water to create a sauce.

And viola, you have a really bland version of a tasty indian dish (the name of which I don't know). Now what sort of sugary goodness should I make?