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This marks pumpkin season and most anticipated time of the year, especially for all the spiced dishes and other hearty meals of fall. Today's Rajasthani sautéed dish is one I cook often, and the blend of ginger, chili and jaggery gives it a lovely balance of flavour. The biryani, meanwhile, is loaded with whole spices, long-grain rice and ghee, which provide enhanced taste to the strata of grains and vegetables.

Mushroom and Squash Biryani

National curry week starts on early October, so how perfect to mark the occasion than with a flavorful, warming, single-pot biryani? If you like, make the vegetable curry component 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, peeled and 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, 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, peeled and cut into matchsticks
3 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint leaves
1 tsp ground cardamom powder
1 tsp garam masala
Raita and salad, as accompaniments

First make the gravy. Melt the clarified butter in a large, heavy-based saucepan on a medium heat, add the cumin seeds, bay leaves and clove spices, and fry for a few seconds. Add the onion slices and cook, frequently turning, for 30-35 minutes, until softened. Once onions begin caramelizing, transfer half of them to a plate and reserve (you'll use them later during the assembly).

Add the fresh chilies and ginger strips to the onions in pan, fry for a brief period, then stir in the tomato paste, chili powder, turmeric and coriander powder, and fry for a short while. Turn down to a gentle flame, stir in the yoghurt and cook for a couple of minutes.

Add the pumpkin pieces and mushrooms, stir to coat in the spice mixture, then fry for three minutes. Add the liquid, and add salt to taste. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat, place lid and cook gently for 18-20 minutes, mixing midway to ensure no sticking to the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with coriander, then take off the stove.

Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Rinse the rice, then put it in a saucepan with a quart of water and the bay leaves, cardamom and seasoning. Heat to boiling, simmer for 10-12 minutes, until partially cooked, then strain.

For assembling the biryani, put a spoonful of warmed ghee in a oven-safe dish for which you have a secure cover. Ladle in one portion the vegetable curry, then top that with some the cooked grains. Add a portion the saffron infusion, ginger, mint, cardamom powder and garam masala, then add the reserved fried onions. Top with the remaining curry mixture, then spoon on the remaining grains. Finish with the remaining ghee, saffron liquid, ginger, mint, cardamom powder and spice mix.

Cover with baking paper, place lid securely, 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, leave to rest, keeping covered, for several minutes, then remove the lid and serve with yogurt sauce and fresh salad.

Traditional Indian Achari Kaddu (Squash with Spice Blend Sauté)

The Indian word "pickling style" refers to seasoning a dish using pickling spices, and the mix contains mustard, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin, asafoetida and kalonji, but they're not used only in pickles. The blend also appears in all manner of spiced dishes and stir-fries, like this recipe.

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, peeled and finely chopped
750g squash flesh, or pumpkin, cubed
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, fenugreek seeds and fennel seeds in a spice grinder, roughly grind, then set aside. Heat the oil in a large frying pan or Indian wok on a medium heat. Introduce the crushed spices and the hing, and sauté, stirring, for a brief moment. Add the chopped ginger, cook for a minute, then stir in the pumpkin pieces, chili powder and turmeric, and sauté, tossing, for five minutes more.

Add a small amount water to the pot, salt with salt to taste and bring to a boil. Place lid, turn down the flame, and simmer for about twenty minutes, stirring once halfway. Mix in the jaggery, breaking up chunks a little, then add the dried mango, stir well and serve warm with flatbreads or naan.