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This marks pumpkin season and my favourite season, not least for all the spiced dishes and other comfort food of autumn. This Rajasthani stir-fry is one I cook often, and the blend of fresh ginger, chilli and jaggery gives it a wonderful flavor harmony. The biryani, on the other hand, is loaded with whole spices, long-grain rice and ghee, which give enhanced taste to the layers of grains and vegetables.

Squash and Mushroom Biryani

National curry week starts on October 6, so how perfect to mark the occasion than with a flavorful, warming, all-in-one-pot biryani? For convenience, make the vegetable curry component in advance and assemble everything on the day you want to serve.

Preparation 20 min
Cooking 2 hr
Serves 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, 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 substitute with mild paprika
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, cleaned and halved
400ml vegetable stock, or use water
Salt, as needed
2 tbsp chopped coriander, to garnish

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, 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 curry base. Melt the ghee in a sizable, thick-bottomed pot on a moderate flame, add the cumin seeds, bay and cloves, and sauté for a brief moment. Add the onion slices and sauté, stirring often, for 30-35 minutes, until tender. Once onions begin caramelizing, remove half to a separate dish and reserve (you'll use them later during the layering).

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

Mix in the squash and mushroom halves, toss to cover in the spice mixture, then cook for several minutes. Pour in the liquid, and add salt to taste. Heat until boiling, then lower the temperature, place lid and cook gently for about twenty minutes, mixing midway to make sure nothing's stuck to the base of the pot. Garnish with fresh cilantro, then take off the stove.

Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Wash the basmati, then place it in a saucepan with a quart of water and the bay leaves, cardamom and salt. Bring to a boil, simmer for 10-12 minutes, until three-quarters cooked, then drain.

To build the biryani, place a tablespoon of melted ghee in a casserole pot for which you have a tight-fitting lid. Spoon half the vegetable curry, then top that with half the cooked grains. Add a portion the saffron infusion, ginger strips, mint leaves, ground cardamom and garam masala, then add the reserved fried onions. Top with the remaining vegetable curry, then spoon on the remaining grains. Top with the remaining clarified butter, saffron liquid, ginger, mint, cardamom powder and spice mix.

Cover with baking paper, cover with the lid, then bake on the center rack of the oven for about fifteen minutes, so the aromas infuse the rice. Take out of the oven, leave to rest, keeping covered, for several minutes, then lift off the cover and present with raita and salad.

Rajasthani Achari Kaddu (Squash with Pickling Spices Sauté)

The Indian word "pickling style" refers to flavouring a preparation using pickling spices, and the mix includes mustard seeds, fennel, fenugreek, cumin seeds, hing and kalonji, but they're not used only in pickles. This mixture also appears in various types of spiced dishes and stir-fries, like this recipe.

Preparation 10 min
Cook 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 pumpkin, cut into bite-sized pieces
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 seeds and fennel seeds in a spice grinder, crush coarsely, then reserve. Heat the oil in a spacious skillet or Indian wok on a moderate flame. Introduce the crushed spices and the asafoetida, and fry, mixing, for a few seconds. Mix in the ginger, cook for a minute, then add the squash, chilli and turmeric, and sauté, tossing, for five minutes more.

Pour a small amount liquid to the pot, salt with seasoning to taste and bring to a boil. Place lid, reduce the heat, and simmer for about twenty minutes, stirring once halfway. Mix in the palm sugar, crushing some of the pieces a bit, then add the mango powder, stir well and serve warm with chapatis or naan.