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It's pumpkin season and my favourite time of the year, especially for all the curries and other comfort food of autumn. This Rajasthani stir-fry is one I cook often, and the combination of fresh ginger, chilli and jaggery lends it a lovely balance of flavour. This layered rice dish, meanwhile, is loaded with whole spices, basmati and ghee, which provide so much more taste to the strata of grains and produce.

Squash and Mushroom Biryani

A celebration of curry dishes begins around October 6, so how perfect to celebrate than with a rich, warming, all-in-one-pot biryani? If you like, prepare the spiced vegetable mixture element ahead of time and layer all components on the occasion you plan to eat.

Prep 20 min
Cooking 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, 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, 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

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

First make the gravy. Melt the clarified butter in a large, heavy-based saucepan on a medium heat, incorporate the cumin, bay and clove spices, and sauté for a brief moment. Stir in the onion slices and cook, frequently turning, for about half an hour, until softened. Once onions begin caramelizing, transfer half of them to a plate and reserve (for later use during the layering).

Introduce the fresh chilies and ginger strips to the onions in pan, fry for a minute, then mix in the tomato paste, chilli powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder, and fry for a minute. Reduce to a low heat, stir in the yoghurt and simmer for a couple of minutes.

Add the pumpkin pieces and mushrooms, toss to cover in the spices, then fry for three minutes. Pour in the liquid, and season to taste. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat, place lid and simmer 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 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, cardamom and seasoning. Bring to a boil, cook for 10-12 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, mint, cardamom powder and spice blend, then add the reserved fried onions. Layer with the remaining curry mixture, then arrange the remaining rice. Top with the rest of clarified butter, saffron liquid, ginger, mint, cardamom powder and spice mix.

Cover with baking paper, cover with the lid, then cook on the middle shelf of the oven for about fifteen minutes, so all the flavours soak into the grains. Take out of the oven, leave to rest, keeping covered, for several minutes, then lift off the lid and serve with yogurt sauce and salad.

Rajasthani Achari Kaddu (Pumpkin with Pickling Spices Sauté)

The Hindi term "achari" refers to seasoning a preparation using pickling spices, and the mix contains mustard seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin, hing and kalonji, but their use extends beyond in preserved foods. This mixture also features in all manner of curries and sautéed preparations, such as this one.

Prep 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, as needed
1 tbsp jaggery, or dark brown sugar
2 tsp dried mango powder

Put the mustard seeds, fenugreek and fennel seeds in a mortar, roughly grind, then reserve. Heat the cooking oil in a large frying pan or Indian wok on a medium heat. 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, stirring, for five minutes more.

Pour 50ml water to the pan, season with seasoning to taste and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the flame, and leave to cook for about twenty minutes, stirring once halfway. Add the palm sugar, breaking up chunks a bit, then add the dried mango, stir well and present hot with flatbreads or naan.