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This marks squash season and my favourite time of the year, especially for all the spiced dishes and other comfort food of autumn. Today's Northwest Indian sautéed dish is one I cook often, and the blend of fresh ginger, chili and jaggery gives it a lovely flavor harmony. This layered rice dish, on the other hand, is packed with whole spices, basmati and clarified butter, which provide so much more flavour to the layers of rice and produce.

Squash and Mushroom Biryani

A celebration of curry dishes begins around October 6, so how perfect to celebrate than with a rich, comforting, all-in-one-pot layered rice dish? If you like, make the vegetable curry element in advance and layer everything on the day you plan to eat.

Prep 20 min
Cooking 2 hr
Serves 4

For the vegetable curry base
4 tbsp ghee, or 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, 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, trimmed and sliced
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

For the biryani
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

Begin by preparing the curry base. Heat the clarified butter in a sizable, heavy-based saucepan on a medium heat, add the cumin seeds, bay and clove spices, and fry for a brief moment. Add the sliced onion and cook, frequently turning, for 30-35 minutes, until tender. When the onions start to brown, transfer half of them to a plate and reserve (for later use during the assembly).

Introduce the green chillies and ginger strips to the onions in pan, cook for a brief period, then stir in the tomato paste, chili powder, turmeric and coriander, and fry for a minute. Turn down to a low heat, stir in the yoghurt and simmer for two minutes.

Mix in the pumpkin pieces and mushroom halves, toss to cover in the spices, then fry for several minutes. Add the stock or water, and add salt to taste. Bring to a boil, then turn down the temperature, cover and cook gently for 18-20 minutes, stirring once halfway to make sure nothing's stuck to the bottom of the pan. Garnish with coriander, then take off the heat.

Preheat the oven to moderately hot temperature. Rinse the rice, then place it in a saucepan with a litre of water and the bay leaves, cardamom pods and salt. Heat to boiling, simmer for around ten minutes, until three-quarters cooked, then drain.

To build the biryani, place a spoonful of melted ghee in a casserole pot for which you have a secure cover. Ladle in half the vegetable curry, then top that with some the cooked grains. Add a portion the saffron infusion, ginger, mint leaves, cardamom powder and garam masala, then top with the reserved fried onions. Layer with the remaining curry mixture, then arrange the leftover rice. Top with the remaining clarified butter, saffron liquid, ginger, mint, ground cardamom and garam masala.

Seal with baking paper, place lid securely, then cook on the center rack of the oven for 15-17 minutes, so the aromas infuse the rice. Remove of the heat, allow to stand, still covered, for several minutes, then remove the cover and serve with raita and fresh salad.

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

The Indian word "pickling style" describes seasoning a dish using preserving spices, and the mix contains mustard seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek, cumin, hing and kalonji, but their use extends beyond in preserved foods. The blend also appears in all manner of spiced dishes and sautéed preparations, such as this one.

Prep 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, minced
750g squash flesh, or use 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

Put the mustard, fenugreek and fennel in a mortar, crush coarsely, then reserve. Heat the oil in a spacious skillet or kadhai on a medium heat. Introduce the crushed spices and the hing, and sauté, stirring, for a few seconds. Mix in the chopped ginger, fry for a short while, then stir in the pumpkin pieces, chilli and turmeric, and sauté, tossing, for several additional minutes.

Pour 50ml water to the pan, season with seasoning to taste and heat until bubbling. Cover, turn down the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, mixing midway through. Add the jaggery, crushing some of the pieces a bit, then add the dried mango, mix thoroughly and serve warm with flatbreads or naan.