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It's squash season and most anticipated season, especially for all the curries and other hearty meals of autumn. This Northwest Indian sautéed dish is one I cook often, and the blend of fresh ginger, chili and palm sugar lends it a lovely balance of flavour. This layered rice dish, on the other hand, is loaded with aromatic spices, long-grain rice and clarified butter, which provide so much more taste to the layers of grains and vegetables.

Squash and Mushroom Biryani

A celebration of curry dishes starts on October 6, so what better way to mark the occasion than with a rich, warming, all-in-one-pot biryani? If you like, make the spiced vegetable mixture component in advance and assemble everything on the day you plan to eat.

Prep 20 min
Cook 2 hr
Yields 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 substitute with mild paprika
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 water
Salt, as needed
2 tbsp chopped coriander, to garnish

For the rice
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, 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, 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 and cloves, and fry for a brief moment. Add the sliced onion and sauté, frequently turning, for 30-35 minutes, until tender. Once onions begin caramelizing, transfer half of them to a separate dish and reserve (you'll use them later during the layering).

Introduce the green chillies and ginger to the remaining onions, cook for a minute, then mix in the tomato puree, chili powder, turmeric and coriander, and sauté for a minute. Turn down to a gentle flame, stir in the yogurt and simmer for two minutes.

Mix in the squash and mushrooms, toss to cover in the spice mixture, then cook for three minutes. Add the stock or water, and season to taste. Heat until boiling, then turn down the temperature, cover and simmer for 18-20 minutes, stirring once halfway to ensure no sticking to the bottom of the pot. Garnish with coriander, then take off the stove.

Heat the oven to moderately hot temperature. Rinse the rice, then put it in a saucepan with a quart of water and the bay leaves, cardamom and seasoning. Bring to a boil, cook for around ten minutes, until three-quarters cooked, then drain.

To build the layered dish, place a tablespoon of warmed ghee in a casserole pot for which you have a secure cover. Spoon one portion the spiced vegetables, then top that with half the cooked grains. Sprinkle a portion the saffron water, ginger strips, mint leaves, cardamom powder and spice blend, then top with the reserved fried onions. Layer with the rest of vegetable curry, then arrange the remaining grains. Finish with the remaining clarified butter, saffron liquid, ginger, mint, cardamom powder and garam masala.

Seal with baking paper, cover with the lid, then bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 15-17 minutes, so all the flavours soak into the grains. Take out of the oven, leave to rest, keeping covered, for 10 minutes, then lift off the lid and serve with raita and salad.

Rajasthani Achari Kaddu (Squash with Pickling Spices Stir-Fry)

The Hindi term "achari" refers to flavouring a preparation using preserving spices, and the mix contains mustard seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin, asafoetida and nigella, but their use extends beyond in preserved foods. This mixture also features in various types of curries and sautéed preparations, such as this one.

Preparation 10 min
Cooking 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, as needed
1 tbsp jaggery, or dark brown sugar
2 tsp dried mango powder

Put the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and fennel in a spice grinder, roughly grind, then set aside. Put the oil in a large frying pan or Indian wok on a moderate flame. Introduce the crushed spices and the hing, and sauté, stirring, for a brief moment. Add the ginger, fry for a short while, then add the squash, chili powder and turmeric, and sauté, stirring, for several additional minutes.

Add 50ml water to the pan, season with seasoning to taste and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and leave to cook for about twenty minutes, mixing midway through. Add the palm sugar, crushing some of the pieces a bit, then incorporate the dried mango, stir well and serve warm with chapatis or naan.