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This marks squash season and my favourite season, not least for all the spiced dishes and other comfort food 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. The biryani, meanwhile, is loaded with whole spices, basmati and clarified butter, which give enhanced taste to the strata of grains and produce.

Mushroom and Squash Biryani

A celebration of curry dishes starts on early October, so how perfect to celebrate than with a rich, comforting, single-pot layered rice dish? For convenience, make the spiced vegetable mixture component in advance and assemble all components on the day you plan to eat.

Prep 20 min
Cook 2 hr
Serves 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, lengthwise slit
5cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
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, trimmed and sliced
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

Biryani assembly
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, as accompaniments

Begin by preparing the curry base. Melt the clarified butter in a large, thick-bottomed pot on a moderate flame, incorporate the cumin, bay leaves and cloves, and sauté for a brief moment. Stir in the onion slices and sauté, stirring often, for 30-35 minutes, until tender. When the onions start to brown, remove half to a separate dish and reserve (you'll use them later during the assembly).

Add the green chillies and ginger to the remaining onions, fry for a minute, then mix in the tomato paste, chili powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder, and sauté for a short while. Reduce to a low heat, stir in the yoghurt and simmer for a couple of minutes.

Mix in the pumpkin pieces and mushrooms, toss to cover in the spices, then cook for several minutes. Add the liquid, and add salt to taste. Heat until boiling, then lower the heat, place lid and simmer for about twenty minutes, stirring once halfway to ensure nothing's stuck to the base of the pan. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro, then take off the stove.

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

To build the biryani, put a tablespoon of warmed ghee in a oven-safe dish for which you have a secure cover. Spoon half the spiced vegetables, then top that with half the rice. Add a portion the saffron infusion, ginger strips, mint leaves, cardamom powder and garam masala, then add the reserved fried onions. Top with the remaining curry mixture, then arrange the remaining grains. Top with the remaining clarified butter, saffron liquid, ginger, mint, ground cardamom and spice mix.

Seal with parchment, cover with the lid, then bake on the middle shelf of the oven for about fifteen minutes, so all the flavours soak into the rice. Take out of the heat, allow to stand, keeping covered, for several minutes, then remove the lid and serve with raita and salad.

Traditional Indian Achari Kaddu (Squash with Spice Blend Stir-Fry)

The Indian word "pickling style" refers to flavouring a preparation using pickling spices, and the mix includes mustard seeds, fennel, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, hing and kalonji, but their use extends beyond in preserved foods. The blend also appears in all manner of spiced dishes and stir-fries, 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, minced
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

Put the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and fennel seeds in a mortar, roughly grind, then set aside. Heat the cooking oil in a spacious skillet or Indian wok on a moderate flame. Add the crushed spices and the asafoetida, and fry, mixing, for a few seconds. Add the ginger, fry for a minute, then stir in the squash, chili powder and turmeric, and sauté, stirring, for five minutes more.

Add a small amount water to the pot, salt with salt to taste and heat until bubbling. Place lid, turn down the heat, and leave to cook for about twenty minutes, stirring once halfway. Mix in the palm sugar, breaking up chunks a little, then incorporate the dried mango, stir well and present hot with chapatis or naan.