Cut up cauliflower into preferred bite-sized florets. Cut potatoes into preferred bite-sized chunks (1cm - 2cm cubes usually).

In a medium pot, add cauliflower florets, enough water to submerge the florets, and some salt. Boil until florets are parboiled. Once parboiled, remove florets from water to prevent further cooking, and SAVE the water.

In another pot, heat up oil. Add in mustard seeds (oil should be hot enough to make the mustard seeds dance). Fry for 10 - 15 seconds. Take care not to burn the seeds. They should smell aromatic, but not burnt. If you end up burning the seeds, please restart this process.

Once the mustard seeds give off aroma, add curry leaves and potatoes, and fry for another 1m - 2m. Then add in asafoetida (or garlic powder), and 1 cup of the leftover water. Add 1 tbsp turmeric, 1 tsp of salt. Mix, cover and let it simmer.

From this point on, the timings vary based on your ingredients. The goal is to get the potatoes parboiled enough to match the cauliflower. Once the potatoes are parboiled, add in the cauliflower, and continue cooking until both reach your desired softness. In my household, we are completely fine with overdone cauliflower and potatoes.

For the previous step, you can continue adding the leftover water, salt and turmeric as needed. For the turmeric, you want the dish to have an overall light-yellow tint as shown in the picture. And for saltiness, you want to bias towards slightly oversalted, especially if serving with white rice. It's critical to keep tasting for salt as you cook.

Once done, serve with your choice of rice, or naan, or roti. Optionally garnish with fresh cilantro and ground coconut (I've only done this once for the photo).

This simple dish can be easily experimented with. My parents like adding peas towards the end. Tomatoes are also a great addition, although that will change the flavor significantly. And if you're a rebel, you can make it with broccoli instead of cauliflower. Yellow potatoes can also be subbed with sweet potatoes or russets. Chili powder can be added for heat. Coconut cream can be added for richness. And so on.