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It's pumpkin season and most anticipated season, especially for all the curries and other hearty meals of fall. This Northwest Indian sautéed dish is a regular in my kitchen, and the blend of ginger, chilli and palm sugar gives it a lovely balance of flavour. This layered rice dish, on the other hand, is loaded with aromatic spices, basmati and clarified butter, which give so much more taste to the strata of grains and produce.

Mushroom and Squash Biryani

National curry week begins around early October, so what better way to celebrate than with a rich, comforting, single-pot layered rice dish? For convenience, prepare the spiced vegetable mixture element ahead of time and layer everything on the occasion you plan to eat.

Prep 20 min
Cooking 2 hr
Yields 4

For the vegetable curry base
4 tbsp ghee, or use butter
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 dried bay leaves
4 cloves
450g white onions, thinly sliced
3 green bird's eye chillies, slit open lengthways
5cm piece fresh ginger, julienned
2 tbsp tomato puree
¼ tsp mild chilli powder, or kashmiri chilli powder
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp coriander powder
1 heaped tbsp greek yoghurt
300g butternut squash flesh, cut into bite-sized pieces
300g button mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
400ml vegetable stock, or use water
Salt, to taste
2 tbsp chopped coriander, to garnish

Rice preparation
200g basmati rice
2 bay leaves
4 green cardamom pods
A pinch of salt

For the biryani
2 tbsp melted ghee
1 pinch saffron threads, steeped in warm water
1¼cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
3 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint leaves
1 tsp ground cardamom powder
1 tsp garam masala
Raita and salad, as accompaniments

Begin by preparing the curry base. Melt the clarified butter in a sizable, heavy-based saucepan on a moderate flame, add the cumin seeds, bay and clove spices, and sauté for a few seconds. Add the sliced onion and cook, frequently turning, for 30-35 minutes, until tender. Once onions begin caramelizing, transfer half of them to a plate and reserve (for later use during the assembly).

Introduce the fresh chilies and ginger to the remaining onions, fry for a brief period, then mix in the tomato puree, chili powder, turmeric and coriander, and fry for a minute. Reduce to a gentle flame, blend in the yoghurt and cook for a couple of minutes.

Mix in the pumpkin pieces and mushrooms, stir to coat in the spice mixture, then cook for three minutes. Pour in the liquid, and season to taste. Bring to a boil, then turn down the temperature, cover and cook gently for about twenty minutes, stirring once halfway to make sure no sticking to the bottom of the pot. Garnish with fresh cilantro, then remove from the stove.

Heat the oven to moderately hot temperature. Rinse the basmati, then put it in a pot with a litre of water and the bay, cardamom pods and seasoning. Bring to a boil, cook for 10-12 minutes, until three-quarters cooked, then drain.

To build the layered dish, place a tablespoon of melted ghee in a oven-safe dish for which you have a tight-fitting lid. Ladle in one portion the spiced vegetables, then top that with some the cooked grains. Add half the saffron infusion, ginger, mint leaves, cardamom powder and garam masala, then add the caramelized onions. Top with the remaining vegetable curry, then arrange the leftover rice. Top with the rest of ghee, saffron liquid, ginger, mint, ground cardamom and spice mix.

Seal with baking paper, place lid securely, then cook on the middle shelf of the oven for 15-17 minutes, so the aromas soak into the grains. Take out of the heat, leave to rest, still covered, for several minutes, then remove the cover and serve with raita and salad.

Traditional Indian Achari Kaddu (Squash with Spice Blend Stir-Fry)

The Hindi term "pickling style" refers to seasoning a dish using preserving spices, and the combination contains mustard seeds, fennel, fenugreek, cumin, hing and nigella, but their use extends beyond in pickles. This mixture also appears in all manner of spiced dishes and sautéed preparations, such as this one.

Prep 10 min
Cook 30 min
Serves 4

1 tsp black mustard seeds
½ tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 pinch asafoetida
5cm piece fresh ginger, minced
750g squash flesh, or pumpkin, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp mild chilli powder
½ tsp ground turmeric
Salt, to taste
1 tbsp jaggery, or substitute with brown sugar
2 tsp dried mango powder

Put the mustard seeds, fenugreek and fennel seeds in a spice grinder, crush coarsely, then set aside. Heat the oil in a large frying pan or kadhai on a moderate flame. Introduce the ground spices and the hing, and sauté, mixing, for a brief moment. Mix in the ginger, fry for a minute, then stir in the squash, chili powder and turmeric, and fry, tossing, for several additional minutes.

Pour a small amount water to the pan, salt with seasoning to taste and bring to a boil. Place lid, turn down the heat, and simmer for about twenty minutes, stirring once halfway. Mix in the palm sugar, crushing some of the pieces a little, then incorporate the mango powder, mix thoroughly and present hot with chapatis or leavened bread.