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It's squash season and my favourite season, not least for all the curries and other comfort food of autumn. This Northwest Indian sautéed dish is a regular in my kitchen, and the combination of ginger, chili and jaggery lends it a wonderful flavor harmony. This layered rice dish, on the other hand, is loaded with aromatic spices, long-grain rice and clarified butter, which give so much more flavour to the layers of grains and produce.

Squash and Mushroom Biryani

National curry week begins around October 6, so how perfect to mark the occasion than with a rich, comforting, all-in-one-pot layered rice dish? If you like, prepare the vegetable curry component in advance and layer all components on the day you want to serve.

Preparation 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, peeled and thinly sliced
3 green bird's eye chillies, slit open lengthways
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, cut into bite-sized pieces
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, soaked in 3 tbsp 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

Begin by preparing the curry base. Melt the clarified butter in a sizable, heavy-based saucepan on a medium heat, incorporate the cumin seeds, bay leaves and clove spices, and sauté for a brief moment. Stir in the onion slices and sauté, stirring often, for 30-35 minutes, until tender. Once onions begin caramelizing, remove half to a separate dish and reserve (for later use during the assembly).

Introduce the green chillies and ginger strips to the remaining onions, cook for a minute, then mix in the tomato paste, chili powder, turmeric powder and coriander, and sauté for a short while. Turn down to a gentle flame, stir in the yogurt and cook for a couple of minutes.

Add the pumpkin pieces and mushroom halves, toss to cover in the spices, then fry for several minutes. Add the liquid, and season to taste. Heat until boiling, then lower the temperature, place lid and simmer for 18-20 minutes, stirring once halfway to ensure nothing's stuck to the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with coriander, then take off the heat.

Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Wash the basmati, then put it in a pot with a litre of water and the bay, cardamom pods and salt. Bring to a boil, simmer for 10-12 minutes, until three-quarters cooked, then drain.

To build the biryani, put a spoonful of melted ghee in a casserole pot for which you have a secure cover. Ladle in one portion the spiced vegetables, then top that with half the cooked grains. Add a portion the saffron water, ginger, mint, ground cardamom and spice blend, then add the caramelized onions. Top with the remaining vegetable curry, then arrange the remaining rice. Finish with the rest of clarified butter, saffron liquid, ginger, mint, cardamom powder and garam masala.

Cover with baking paper, place lid securely, then bake on the center rack of the oven for about fifteen minutes, so the aromas infuse the grains. Take out of the oven, leave to rest, keeping covered, for 10 minutes, then lift off the lid and present with raita and salad.

Traditional Indian Achari Kaddu (Pumpkin with Pickling Spices Sauté)

The Hindi term "achari" describes seasoning a dish using pickling spices, and the mix includes mustard seeds, fennel, fenugreek seeds, cumin, hing and kalonji, but they're not used only in pickles. The blend also appears 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 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

Place the mustard, fenugreek seeds and fennel in a spice grinder, roughly grind, then set aside. Heat the cooking oil in a large frying pan or kadhai on a medium heat. Introduce the ground spices and the asafoetida, and sauté, stirring, for a brief moment. Mix in the chopped ginger, fry for a minute, then stir in the squash, chilli and turmeric, and fry, stirring, for five minutes more.

Add 50ml liquid to the pot, salt with seasoning to taste and heat until bubbling. Cover, turn down the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring once halfway. Add the palm sugar, breaking up chunks a bit, then incorporate the dried mango, stir well and present hot with chapatis or naan.