🔗 Share this article

It's pumpkin season and most anticipated season, not least for all the spiced dishes and other comfort food of autumn. This Northwest Indian sautéed dish is one I cook often, and the combination of fresh ginger, chili and jaggery lends it a lovely balance of flavour. The biryani, meanwhile, is loaded with aromatic spices, long-grain rice and ghee, which provide enhanced taste to the strata of rice and produce.

Mushroom and Squash Biryani

A celebration of curry dishes starts on October 6, so what better way to mark the occasion than with a flavorful, comforting, single-pot biryani? For convenience, prepare the vegetable curry element in advance and layer all components on the occasion you plan to eat.

Preparation 20 min
Cook 2 hr
Yields 4

For the squash and mushroom gravy
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, cubed
300g button mushrooms, cleaned and halved
400ml vegetable stock, or water
Salt, to taste
2 tbsp chopped coriander, for serving

For the rice
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, 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 curry base. Melt the ghee in a sizable, heavy-based saucepan on a moderate flame, add the cumin, bay leaves and clove spices, and sauté for a brief moment. Add the sliced onion and sauté, frequently turning, for about half an hour, until tender. When the onions start to brown, transfer half of them to a separate dish and reserve (you'll use them later during the assembly).

Introduce the fresh chilies and ginger strips to the remaining onions, fry for a brief period, then mix in the tomato puree, chilli powder, turmeric and coriander powder, and sauté for a short while. Turn down to a low heat, blend in the yogurt and cook for a couple of minutes.

Add the pumpkin pieces and mushroom halves, stir to coat in the spices, then fry for several minutes. Add the liquid, and add salt to taste. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat, place lid and cook gently for about twenty minutes, mixing midway to make sure no sticking to the bottom of the pot. Sprinkle with coriander, then remove from the stove.

Preheat the oven to moderately hot temperature. Wash the rice, then place it in a pot with a litre of water and the bay, cardamom pods and seasoning. Bring to a boil, cook for 10-12 minutes, until three-quarters cooked, then strain.

To build the layered dish, put a spoonful of warmed ghee in a oven-safe dish for which you have a tight-fitting lid. Ladle in one portion the spiced vegetables, then layer with half the cooked grains. Sprinkle half the saffron water, ginger, mint leaves, ground cardamom and garam masala, then add the caramelized onions. Layer with the rest of curry mixture, then spoon on the remaining rice. Finish with the rest of ghee, saffron water, ginger, mint, ground cardamom and garam masala.

Cover with parchment, 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 10 minutes, then remove the lid and serve with raita and fresh salad.

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

The Hindi term "pickling style" describes seasoning a dish using preserving spices, and the combination includes mustard, fennel, fenugreek, cumin seeds, asafoetida and nigella, but they're not used only in preserved foods. The blend also appears in all manner of spiced dishes and stir-fries, like this recipe.

Preparation 10 min
Cook 30 min
Yields 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, 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 seeds, fenugreek seeds and fennel in a mortar, crush coarsely, then set aside. Heat the oil in a spacious skillet or Indian wok on a moderate flame. 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, chili powder and turmeric, and fry, tossing, for five minutes more.

Pour a small amount water to the pot, salt with seasoning to taste and heat until bubbling. Place lid, reduce the heat, and simmer for about twenty minutes, mixing midway through. Add the palm sugar, crushing some of the pieces a bit, then incorporate the dried mango, stir well and serve warm with chapatis or naan.