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This marks squash season and my favourite time of the year, not least for all the curries and other comfort food of fall. Today's Rajasthani sautéed dish is a regular in my kitchen, and the combination of fresh ginger, chili and palm sugar gives it a wonderful flavor harmony. This layered rice dish, on the other hand, is loaded with aromatic spices, long-grain rice and ghee, which provide so much more taste to the layers of rice and produce.

Squash and Mushroom Biryani

National curry week begins around October 6, so how perfect to celebrate than with a flavorful, warming, all-in-one-pot biryani? If you like, make the vegetable curry element ahead of time and layer all components on the occasion you plan to eat.

Prep 20 min
Cooking 2 hr
Yields 4

For the squash and mushroom gravy
4 tbsp ghee, or butter
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 dried bay leaves
4 cloves
450g white onions, thinly sliced
3 green bird's eye chillies, lengthwise slit
5cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
2 tbsp tomato puree
¼ tsp mild chilli powder, or substitute with mild paprika
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp coriander powder
1 heaped tbsp greek yoghurt
300g butternut squash flesh, cubed
300g button mushrooms, cleaned and halved
400ml vegetable stock, or use water
Salt, to taste
2 tbsp chopped coriander, to garnish

For the rice
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, to serve

Begin by preparing the gravy. Melt the clarified butter in a sizable, thick-bottomed pot on a medium heat, add the cumin, bay leaves and clove spices, and fry for a few seconds. Stir in the onion slices and cook, frequently turning, for about half an hour, until softened. When the onions start to brown, remove half to a plate and reserve (you'll use them later during the assembly).

Add the fresh chilies and ginger strips to the onions in pan, cook for a brief period, then stir in the tomato puree, chilli powder, turmeric powder and coriander, and sauté for a minute. Turn down to a gentle flame, blend in the yoghurt and simmer for a couple of minutes.

Mix in the pumpkin pieces and mushrooms, toss to cover in the spice mixture, then fry for several minutes. Add the liquid, and add salt to taste. Heat until boiling, then lower the heat, cover and simmer for about twenty minutes, stirring once halfway to make sure nothing's stuck to the bottom of the pan. Garnish with fresh cilantro, then take off the stove.

Heat the oven to moderately hot temperature. Wash the basmati, then put it in a saucepan with a quart of water and the bay, cardamom pods and salt. Heat to boiling, cook for around ten minutes, until three-quarters cooked, then strain.

To build the layered dish, put a spoonful of warmed ghee in a oven-safe dish for which you have a secure cover. Spoon half the vegetable curry, then layer with half the cooked grains. Add a portion the saffron infusion, ginger, mint, cardamom powder and spice blend, then add the reserved fried onions. Top with the rest of curry mixture, then spoon on the leftover rice. Finish with the remaining clarified butter, saffron water, ginger, mint, ground cardamom and spice mix.

Seal with parchment, cover with the lid, then cook on the center rack of the oven for 15-17 minutes, so the aromas soak into the grains. Take out of the oven, leave to rest, keeping covered, for 10 minutes, then lift off the cover and present with yogurt sauce and fresh salad.

Traditional Indian Achari Kaddu (Pumpkin with Spice Blend Sauté)

The Indian word "achari" describes seasoning a dish using preserving spices, and the combination contains mustard seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin, hing and nigella, but their use extends beyond in pickles. The blend also features in various types of curries and stir-fries, such as this one.

Preparation 10 min
Cooking 30 min
Yields 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 use pumpkin, cubed
1 tsp mild chilli powder
½ tsp ground turmeric
Salt, as needed
1 tbsp jaggery, or dark brown sugar
2 tsp dried mango powder

Put the mustard, fenugreek and fennel in a mortar, roughly grind, then reserve. Put the cooking oil in a large frying pan or kadhai on a medium heat. Add the ground spices and the asafoetida, and fry, stirring, for a brief moment. Mix in the chopped ginger, fry for a short while, then stir in the squash, chilli and turmeric, and fry, stirring, for several additional minutes.

Add 50ml water to the pan, season with salt to taste and bring to a boil. Place lid, turn down the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, mixing midway through. Add the palm sugar, crushing some of the pieces a little, then add the dried mango, mix thoroughly and serve warm with flatbreads or leavened bread.