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This marks pumpkin season and most anticipated time of the year, especially for all the curries and other hearty meals of fall. Today's Northwest Indian stir-fry is a regular in my kitchen, and the combination of fresh ginger, chili and palm sugar gives it a wonderful flavor harmony. This layered rice dish, meanwhile, is loaded with whole spices, basmati and clarified butter, which give enhanced flavour to the strata of grains and produce.

Mushroom and Squash Biryani

National curry week starts on October 6, so what better way to mark the occasion than with a rich, comforting, all-in-one-pot layered rice dish? For convenience, make the spiced vegetable mixture element ahead of time and assemble everything on the day you plan to eat.

Prep 20 min
Cooking 2 hr
Yields 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, thinly sliced
3 green bird's eye chillies, lengthwise slit
5cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
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, cubed
300g button mushrooms, cleaned and halved
400ml vegetable stock, or use 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

Biryani assembly
2 tbsp melted ghee
1 pinch saffron threads, steeped in 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, as accompaniments

Begin by preparing the curry base. Heat the clarified butter in a large, thick-bottomed pot on a medium heat, add the cumin, bay leaves and clove spices, and sauté for a few seconds. Stir in the sliced onion and sauté, frequently turning, for 30-35 minutes, until softened. Once onions begin caramelizing, 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 strips to the onions in pan, cook for a brief period, then stir in the tomato puree, chili powder, turmeric powder and coriander, and sauté for a short while. Reduce to a low heat, stir in the yogurt and simmer for a couple of minutes.

Mix in the pumpkin pieces and mushroom halves, toss to cover in the spices, then cook for several minutes. Add the stock or water, and season to taste. Heat until boiling, then lower the temperature, place lid and simmer for about twenty minutes, mixing midway to ensure nothing's stuck to the bottom of the pot. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro, then take off the stove.

Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Rinse the rice, then put it in a pot with a quart of water and the bay, cardamom and salt. Bring to a boil, simmer for around ten minutes, until partially cooked, then drain.

To build the biryani, put a tablespoon of melted ghee in a casserole pot for which you have a tight-fitting lid. Spoon half the vegetable curry, then layer with some the rice. Add a portion the saffron infusion, ginger strips, mint leaves, ground cardamom and garam masala, then top with the caramelized onions. Top with the rest of vegetable curry, then spoon on the leftover grains. Top with the remaining clarified butter, saffron water, ginger, mint, cardamom powder and garam masala.

Cover with parchment, cover with the lid, then cook on the middle shelf of the oven for about fifteen minutes, so all the flavours soak into the rice. Take out of the oven, leave to rest, still covered, for 10 minutes, then remove the cover and serve with yogurt sauce and salad.

Rajasthani Achari Kaddu (Squash with Spice Blend Sauté)

The Indian word "achari" refers to seasoning a preparation using pickling spices, and the mix contains mustard seeds, fennel, fenugreek seeds, cumin, asafoetida and kalonji, but they're not used only in pickles. The blend also appears in various types of curries and sautéed preparations, like this recipe.

Prep 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, cubed
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, fenugreek and fennel in a mortar, crush coarsely, then reserve. Put the oil in a spacious skillet or kadhai on a medium heat. Introduce the ground spices and the hing, and fry, stirring, for a brief moment. Mix in the chopped ginger, fry for a minute, then add the pumpkin pieces, chilli and turmeric, and sauté, stirring, for several additional minutes.

Pour 50ml water to the pot, salt with salt to taste and bring to a boil. Place lid, turn down the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, mixing midway through. Mix in the palm sugar, crushing some of the pieces a little, then add the mango powder, mix thoroughly and present hot with flatbreads or naan.