Aloo Phulkopir jhol-Cauliflower Potato gravy

I do most of the cooking and cleaning after Daddy D comes back home from work....daytime goes in trying to keep up with the energy,tantrums and the inquisitive mind of a 10 month old.Somedays back our Mommy Group decided to have a pot luck and the organiser mommy called for a meeting.Not sure how long the meeting would take I decided to make dinner before I went out for the evening.We had some leftovers of mutton curry and majher jhal,all that was needed was a sabji and rice.I pulled out the vegetable tray of the refridgerator and looked at my options- cabbage,cauliflower and a box of mushrooms.I decided on the cauliflower by the method of elimination rather than selection.Cabbage takes a lot of time to chop,I had only 40 mins to make a sabji from start to end.40 mins...that's the usual time my princess sleeps in the afternoon.Mushrooms got eliminated cause i wanted to save them for pasta planned for later during the week.
There are some great bong ways of making cauliflower.The aloo phulkopi bhaja is my all time favourite.Long long time back when all cousins would gather at my grandparents house for winter vacation,aloo phulkopi bhaja with triangular shaped parota was our typical bengali breakfast.However this cauliflower needed to be made into a gravy for the rice to be had at dinner.We were out of onions so it had to be the "niramish jhol".
Ingredients:
Cauliflower-1 head cut into florets
Potatoes-2 peeled and cubed
Green chillies-3-4
Tomatoes-1 large chopped
Turmeric powder-1 teaspoon
Cumin powder -1 table spoon
Corriander powder -1 tablespoon
Bay leaf-1
Ginger-1/2 spoon grated
Cinnamon stick -2 inch piece
Salt to taste
Ghee-1 table spoon
Vegetable oil-4 tablespoons
Sugar -1 teaspoon

Heat the oil in a kadhai and put in the sugar, bay leaf  and cinnamon stick.Caramalize the sugar to a nice flame red colour,make sure not to burn the sugar or it will end up being bitter.Once the sugar is of the warm red colour and the cinnamon has turned fragrant add in the tomaoes and green chilli.When the tomatoes are half cooked add the grated ginger.Let the ginger fry for a minute then add in the cauliflower and the potatoes.Add the turmeric powder and salt and let the cauliflower and potatoes soften.You can put a lid on the kadhai and let the vegetables simmer.Once the vegetables are soft,add in the cumin and corriander powder mixed with 2 spoons of water.Give the vegetables a nice stir for a couple of minutes to cook the cumin and corriander.Now add 1 1/2 cups of water and let the "jhol" come to a boil.Right before you take the phulkopir jhol off the flame add in the tablespoon of ghee and cover the kadhai.

It takes a little more time than 40 mins for the end result.I had little princess in my arm when I added the Ghee and covered the Kadhai.