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This marks pumpkin season and my favourite season, especially for all the curries and other hearty meals of fall. This Northwest Indian stir-fry is one I cook often, and the blend of ginger, chili and jaggery gives it a lovely flavor harmony. This layered rice dish, meanwhile, is loaded with whole spices, long-grain rice and clarified butter, which provide so much more taste to the layers of rice and produce.

Squash and Mushroom Biryani

National curry week starts on October 6, so how perfect to mark the occasion than with a flavorful, warming, single-pot biryani? For convenience, make the spiced vegetable mixture component ahead of time and assemble everything on the day you want to serve.

Prep 20 min
Cooking 2 hr
Serves 4

For the vegetable curry base
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, 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, cleaned and halved
400ml vegetable stock, or water
Salt, to taste
2 tbsp chopped coriander, to garnish

Rice preparation
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

First make the curry base. Melt the ghee in a large, heavy-based saucepan on a moderate flame, incorporate the cumin, bay and cloves, and fry for a few seconds. Add the onion slices and cook, stirring often, for 30-35 minutes, until tender. Once onions begin caramelizing, transfer half of them to a plate and reserve (for later use during the layering).

Introduce the fresh chilies and ginger strips to the onions in pan, cook for a minute, then mix in the tomato puree, chili powder, turmeric and coriander, and sauté for a minute. Turn down to a low heat, blend in the yoghurt and simmer for a couple of minutes.

Add the pumpkin pieces and mushrooms, toss to cover in the spices, then cook for three minutes. Add the stock or water, and add salt to taste. Heat until boiling, then lower the temperature, place lid and cook gently for 18-20 minutes, stirring once halfway to ensure no sticking to the base of the pot. Sprinkle with coriander, then take off the heat.

Preheat the oven to moderately hot temperature. Wash the rice, then put it in a pot with a quart of water and the bay, cardamom pods and salt. Bring to a boil, cook for 10-12 minutes, until partially cooked, then drain.

For assembling the layered dish, put a tablespoon of warmed ghee in a casserole pot for which you have a secure cover. Spoon one portion the spiced vegetables, then layer with half the cooked grains. Add half the saffron infusion, ginger strips, mint, cardamom powder and spice blend, then add the caramelized onions. Top with the rest of curry mixture, then arrange the leftover rice. Finish with the rest of 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 about fifteen minutes, so the aromas infuse the rice. Take out of the oven, leave to rest, still covered, for 10 minutes, then remove the cover and serve with raita and fresh salad.

Rajasthani Achari Kaddu (Squash with Pickling Spices Sauté)

The Indian word "achari" describes seasoning a preparation using preserving spices, and the mix includes mustard seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek, cumin seeds, hing and kalonji, but their use extends beyond in pickles. The blend also appears in various types of spiced dishes and sautéed preparations, such as this one.

Prep 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, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp mild chilli powder
½ tsp ground turmeric
Salt, to taste
1 tbsp jaggery, or substitute with brown sugar
2 tsp dried mango powder

Place the mustard, fenugreek and fennel seeds in a spice grinder, roughly grind, then reserve. Put the oil in a spacious skillet or kadhai on a moderate flame. Introduce the crushed spices and the hing, and sauté, stirring, for a brief moment. Add the ginger, cook for a short while, then stir in the pumpkin pieces, chili powder and turmeric, and sauté, tossing, for several additional minutes.

Pour 50ml liquid to the pot, salt with seasoning to taste and bring to a boil. Cover, turn down the flame, and simmer for 20 minutes, mixing midway through. Add the jaggery, breaking up chunks a bit, then incorporate the dried mango, mix thoroughly and present hot with chapatis or naan.