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This marks pumpkin season and my favourite season, not least for all the curries and other comfort food of fall. Today's Rajasthani sautéed dish is one I cook often, and the blend of fresh ginger, chilli and jaggery lends it a lovely flavor harmony. This layered rice dish, meanwhile, is loaded with whole spices, basmati and clarified butter, which provide so much more taste to the strata of grains and vegetables.

Mushroom and Squash Biryani

National curry week begins around October 6, so what better way to mark the occasion than with a rich, comforting, all-in-one-pot layered rice dish? If you like, make the vegetable curry component in advance and layer all components on the occasion you plan to eat.

Prep 20 min
Cook 2 hr
Yields 4

For the squash and mushroom gravy
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, as needed
2 tbsp chopped coriander, for serving

For the rice
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, to serve

First make the curry base. Melt the clarified butter in a sizable, thick-bottomed pot on a medium heat, incorporate the cumin seeds, bay leaves and clove spices, and sauté for a brief moment. Add the onion slices and cook, frequently turning, for 30-35 minutes, 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 fry for a short while. Turn down to a low heat, stir in the yogurt and cook for two minutes.

Mix in the pumpkin pieces and mushrooms, toss to cover in the spices, then cook for several minutes. Add the stock or water, and add salt to taste. Bring to a boil, then turn down the temperature, place lid and cook gently for 18-20 minutes, stirring once halfway to make sure nothing's stuck to the bottom of the pot. Sprinkle with coriander, then remove from the stove.

Heat the oven to moderately hot temperature. Wash the rice, then put it in a pot with a litre of water and the bay, cardamom and salt. Heat to boiling, cook for around ten minutes, until partially cooked, then drain.

To build the layered dish, put a spoonful of melted ghee in a oven-safe dish for which you have a tight-fitting lid. Spoon half the spiced vegetables, then top that with half the rice. Add half the saffron water, ginger, mint, ground cardamom and spice blend, then top with the caramelized onions. Top with the remaining vegetable curry, then arrange the leftover grains. Finish with the remaining ghee, saffron liquid, ginger, mint, ground cardamom and garam masala.

Cover with parchment, place lid securely, then bake on the center rack of the oven for about fifteen minutes, so the aromas infuse the grains. Take out of the heat, allow to stand, keeping covered, for 10 minutes, then lift off the cover and present with yogurt sauce and fresh salad.

Traditional Indian Achari Kaddu (Squash with Pickling Spices Sauté)

The Hindi term "pickling style" describes seasoning a preparation using pickling spices, and the mix contains mustard, fennel, fenugreek, cumin, asafoetida and nigella, but their use extends beyond in pickles. This mixture also appears in all manner of curries and stir-fries, such as this one.

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, peeled and finely chopped
750g squash flesh, or pumpkin, cut into bite-sized pieces
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

Put the mustard, fenugreek seeds and fennel in a mortar, crush coarsely, then set aside. Put the oil in a large frying pan or kadhai on a medium heat. Add the crushed spices and the hing, and sauté, stirring, for a few seconds. Add the chopped ginger, fry for a minute, then stir in the squash, chilli and turmeric, and sauté, stirring, for five minutes more.

Add a small amount liquid to the pan, season with seasoning to taste and heat until bubbling. Place lid, turn down the flame, and simmer for 20 minutes, mixing midway through. Add the palm sugar, crushing some of the pieces a bit, then incorporate the dried mango, mix thoroughly and present hot with chapatis or leavened bread.