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It's pumpkin season and most anticipated time of the year, not least for all the curries and other hearty meals of fall. This Northwest Indian stir-fry is one I cook often, and the combination of ginger, chilli and palm sugar gives it a lovely flavor harmony. The biryani, meanwhile, is packed with whole spices, long-grain rice and clarified butter, which provide so much more taste to the strata of rice and vegetables.

Mushroom and Squash Biryani

National curry week begins around October 6, so how perfect to mark the occasion than with a rich, comforting, all-in-one-pot layered rice dish? For convenience, make the vegetable curry component in advance and layer everything on the occasion you plan to eat.

Preparation 20 min
Cook 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, peeled and 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 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, trimmed and sliced
400ml vegetable stock, or 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, 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

First make the gravy. Melt the clarified butter in a large, heavy-based saucepan on a medium heat, add the cumin seeds, bay leaves and cloves, and sauté for a few seconds. Add the onion slices and sauté, frequently turning, for about half an hour, until tender. When the onions start to brown, transfer half of them to a separate dish and reserve (you'll use them later during the assembly).

Add the green chillies and ginger to the remaining onions, cook for a minute, then mix in the tomato paste, chilli powder, turmeric and coriander, and sauté for a minute. Turn down to a low heat, stir in the yoghurt and cook for two minutes.

Mix in the squash and mushrooms, toss to cover in the spice mixture, then fry for three minutes. Add the stock or water, and add salt to taste. Heat until boiling, then turn down the temperature, cover and simmer for about twenty minutes, stirring once halfway to ensure nothing's stuck to the base of the pot. Garnish with fresh cilantro, then remove from the heat.

Heat the oven to moderately hot temperature. Wash the rice, then put it in a saucepan with a quart of water and the bay leaves, cardamom pods and seasoning. Heat to boiling, cook for around ten minutes, until partially cooked, then strain.

For assembling the layered dish, place a spoonful of warmed ghee in a casserole pot for which you have a tight-fitting lid. Spoon one portion the spiced vegetables, then top that with half the rice. Sprinkle a portion the saffron infusion, ginger, mint, ground cardamom and spice blend, then add the caramelized onions. Layer with the rest of curry mixture, then arrange the leftover rice. Top with the remaining ghee, saffron liquid, ginger, mint, cardamom powder and garam masala.

Seal with baking paper, place lid securely, then cook on the middle shelf of the oven for 15-17 minutes, so all the flavours infuse the grains. Take out of the heat, leave to rest, keeping covered, for 10 minutes, then remove the cover and present with raita and fresh salad.

Rajasthani Achari Kaddu (Squash with Pickling Spices Sauté)

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

Preparation 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, peeled and finely chopped
750g squash flesh, or use pumpkin, cubed
1 tsp mild chilli powder
½ tsp ground turmeric
Salt, as needed
1 tbsp jaggery, or substitute with brown sugar
2 tsp dried mango powder

Place the mustard, fenugreek and fennel seeds in a spice grinder, crush coarsely, then set aside. Put the cooking oil in a large frying pan or kadhai on a moderate flame. Add the ground spices and the hing, and fry, mixing, for a few seconds. Add the chopped ginger, fry for a minute, then add the squash, chilli and turmeric, and sauté, stirring, for five minutes more.

Pour a small amount liquid to the pot, season with salt to taste and bring to a boil. Cover, turn down the heat, and leave to cook for about twenty minutes, stirring once halfway. Add the jaggery, breaking up chunks a little, then add the mango powder, stir well and present hot with flatbreads or leavened bread.