I think part of the problem is not sauteing some things (in your case the last four ingredients) first. When I make a one pot meal (practically always), I put in some oil, add the garlic and onion, saute them until the onion is transparent, add the spices, saute them for a couple of minutes, and then add everything else and lower the temperature. If I added carrots and other fresh vegetables, I would add them in after the spices and saute the whole lot for a couple of minutes, then add all other ingredients.
Note that I said saute rather than fry, because things don't want to be browned, so you are stirring at a slightly lower heat.
Sauteing releases flavours that don't happen if you just chuck everything in a pot together.