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It's squash season and my favourite season, especially for all the spiced dishes and other comfort food of fall. This Northwest Indian sautéed dish is a regular in my kitchen, and the blend of ginger, chili and jaggery lends it a lovely balance of flavour. This layered rice dish, meanwhile, is packed with whole spices, long-grain rice and clarified butter, which give so much more taste to the strata of grains and produce.

Mushroom and Squash Biryani

National curry week starts on October 6, so what better way to mark the occasion than with a flavorful, comforting, all-in-one-pot biryani? If you like, prepare the vegetable curry element ahead of time and layer all components on the occasion you want to serve.

Preparation 20 min
Cooking 2 hr
Serves 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, peeled and thinly sliced
3 green bird's eye chillies, lengthwise slit
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, cubed
300g button mushrooms, cleaned and halved
400ml vegetable stock, or use water
Salt, as needed
2 tbsp chopped coriander, for serving

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

Biryani assembly
2 tbsp melted ghee
1 pinch saffron threads, soaked in 3 tbsp warm water
1¼cm piece fresh ginger, julienned
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 large, thick-bottomed pot on a medium heat, incorporate the cumin, bay and clove spices, and fry for a brief moment. Add the onion slices and cook, stirring often, for about half an hour, until tender. When the onions start to brown, transfer half of them to a separate dish and set aside (you'll use them later during the assembly).

Add the green chillies and ginger to the remaining onions, cook for a brief period, then stir in the tomato paste, chili powder, turmeric powder and coriander, and sauté for a minute. Reduce to a gentle flame, blend in the yoghurt and cook for two minutes.

Mix in the squash and mushrooms, toss to cover in the spices, then cook for three minutes. Pour in the stock or water, and season to taste. Bring to a boil, then turn down the temperature, place lid and cook gently for about twenty minutes, stirring once halfway to ensure nothing's stuck to the bottom of the pan. Garnish with fresh cilantro, then remove from the stove.

Preheat the oven to moderately hot temperature. Rinse the rice, then place it in a saucepan with a litre of water and the bay leaves, cardamom and seasoning. Heat to boiling, simmer for around ten minutes, until partially cooked, then drain.

For assembling the biryani, place a tablespoon of melted ghee in a oven-safe dish for which you have a tight-fitting lid. Spoon half the vegetable curry, then layer with some the rice. Add half the saffron water, ginger, mint, ground cardamom and garam masala, then top with the caramelized onions. Layer with the remaining curry mixture, then spoon on the leftover rice. Finish with the remaining clarified butter, saffron water, ginger, mint, cardamom powder and spice mix.

Cover 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, allow to stand, still covered, for 10 minutes, then lift off the lid and serve with raita and fresh salad.

Rajasthani Achari Kaddu (Pumpkin with Pickling Spices Sauté)

The Hindi term "achari" describes seasoning a preparation using pickling spices, and the combination includes mustard seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek, cumin seeds, asafoetida and kalonji, but their use extends beyond in preserved foods. The blend also features in all manner of spiced dishes and stir-fries, like this recipe.

Prep 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, peeled and finely chopped
750g squash flesh, or pumpkin, cubed
1 tsp mild chilli powder
½ tsp ground turmeric
Salt, to taste
1 tbsp jaggery, or dark brown sugar
2 tsp dried mango powder

Place the mustard seeds, fenugreek and fennel seeds in a spice grinder, roughly grind, then set aside. Put the cooking oil in a large frying pan or kadhai on a medium heat. Introduce the ground spices and the hing, and fry, stirring, for a few seconds. Add the ginger, fry for a minute, then stir in the squash, chilli and turmeric, and sauté, stirring, for five minutes more.

Add 50ml liquid to the pan, season with salt to taste and heat until bubbling. Cover, reduce the flame, and simmer for about twenty minutes, stirring once halfway. Add the jaggery, breaking up chunks a little, then add the dried mango, stir well and present hot with flatbreads or leavened bread.