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It's pumpkin season and most anticipated season, especially for all the curries and other comfort food of fall. This Rajasthani stir-fry is one I cook often, and the blend of fresh ginger, chilli and palm sugar lends it a wonderful balance of flavour. The biryani, on the other hand, is loaded with whole spices, long-grain rice and clarified butter, which give so much more flavour to the layers of rice and produce.

Mushroom and Squash Biryani

National curry week begins around early October, so how perfect to celebrate than with a flavorful, comforting, single-pot layered rice dish? For convenience, make the spiced vegetable mixture component in advance and assemble all components on the day you want to serve.

Preparation 20 min
Cooking 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, peeled and 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, cubed
300g button mushrooms, cleaned and halved
400ml vegetable stock, or use water
Salt, as needed
2 tbsp chopped coriander, for serving

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, to serve

First make the gravy. Melt the clarified butter in a sizable, 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, stirring often, for about half an hour, until tender. When the onions start to brown, transfer half of them to a plate and set aside (you'll use them later during the layering).

Introduce the fresh chilies and ginger to the onions in pan, fry for a brief period, then mix in the tomato puree, chili powder, turmeric powder and coriander, and fry for a minute. Reduce to a gentle flame, stir in the yogurt and cook for two minutes.

Mix in the pumpkin pieces and mushrooms, stir to coat in the spices, then fry for three minutes. Pour in the liquid, and add salt to taste. Heat until boiling, then lower the heat, cover and simmer for about twenty minutes, stirring once halfway to make sure nothing's stuck to the base of the pan. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro, then take off the heat.

Preheat the oven to moderately hot temperature. Wash the rice, then place it in a pot with a quart of water and the bay, cardamom and salt. Bring to a boil, cook for around ten minutes, until three-quarters cooked, then strain.

To build the biryani, put a tablespoon of warmed ghee in a oven-safe dish for which you have a tight-fitting lid. Ladle in half the spiced vegetables, then layer with half the cooked grains. Add half the saffron infusion, ginger, mint, cardamom powder and spice blend, then top with the caramelized onions. Layer with the rest of vegetable curry, then spoon on the leftover rice. Finish with the remaining clarified butter, saffron liquid, ginger, mint, cardamom powder and garam masala.

Seal with baking paper, place lid securely, then cook on the center rack of the oven for about fifteen minutes, so the aromas soak into the rice. Take out of the heat, leave to rest, keeping covered, for several minutes, then lift off the cover and serve with yogurt sauce and salad.

Rajasthani Achari Kaddu (Pumpkin with Spice Blend Stir-Fry)

The Hindi term "achari" describes flavouring a preparation using preserving spices, and the mix includes mustard, fennel, fenugreek, cumin seeds, hing and nigella, but they're not used only in preserved foods. The blend also appears in all manner of curries 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 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 in a spice grinder, roughly grind, then reserve. Put the cooking oil in a spacious skillet or Indian wok on a moderate flame. Introduce the crushed spices and the hing, and sauté, mixing, for a few seconds. Add the ginger, cook for a minute, then stir in the pumpkin pieces, chili powder and turmeric, and fry, tossing, for several additional minutes.

Add 50ml liquid to the pot, salt with seasoning to taste and bring to a boil. Place lid, turn down the flame, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring once halfway. Add the jaggery, crushing some of the pieces a little, then add the dried mango, mix thoroughly and present hot with chapatis or leavened bread.