🔗 Share this article

It's pumpkin season and my favourite season, not least for all the curries and other hearty meals of autumn. Today's Northwest Indian sautéed dish is one I cook often, and the blend of fresh ginger, chili and jaggery lends it a wonderful flavor harmony. This layered rice dish, meanwhile, is loaded with whole spices, long-grain rice and clarified butter, which provide so much more taste to the strata of grains and vegetables.

Squash and Mushroom Biryani

National curry week begins around October 6, so what better way to mark the occasion than with a rich, comforting, all-in-one-pot biryani? For convenience, make the vegetable curry component ahead of time and assemble all components on the day you want to serve.

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, 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 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, 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

First make the curry base. Melt the clarified butter in a large, heavy-based saucepan on a medium heat, add the cumin, bay and clove spices, and sauté for a brief moment. Stir in the sliced onion and cook, stirring often, for about half an hour, until tender. When the onions start to brown, remove half to a separate dish and reserve (for later use during the assembly).

Add the fresh chilies and ginger strips to the remaining onions, fry for a minute, then stir in the tomato paste, chili powder, turmeric and coriander powder, and fry for a short while. Turn down to a low heat, stir in the yogurt and cook for two minutes.

Add the squash and mushroom halves, stir to coat in the spice mixture, then fry for three minutes. Pour in the stock or water, and season to taste. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat, cover and cook gently for about twenty minutes, mixing midway to make sure nothing's stuck to the base of the pan. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro, then remove from the stove.

Heat the oven to moderately hot temperature. Wash the rice, then put it in a saucepan with a quart of water and the bay leaves, cardamom and salt. Heat to boiling, simmer for 10-12 minutes, until three-quarters cooked, then drain.

For assembling the layered dish, place a spoonful of warmed ghee in a oven-safe dish for which you have a tight-fitting lid. Spoon one portion the spiced vegetables, then top that with half the cooked grains. Add half the saffron water, ginger, mint leaves, ground cardamom and spice blend, then add the reserved fried onions. Layer with the remaining curry mixture, then spoon on the leftover rice. Top with the remaining clarified butter, saffron liquid, ginger, mint, ground cardamom and spice mix.

Seal with baking paper, place lid securely, then bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 15-17 minutes, so all the flavours soak into the grains. Remove of the oven, leave to rest, keeping covered, for 10 minutes, then lift off the lid and present with raita and fresh salad.

Traditional Indian Achari Kaddu (Pumpkin with Spice Blend Sauté)

The Indian word "achari" refers to flavouring a preparation using preserving spices, and the combination contains mustard, fennel, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida and kalonji, but their use extends beyond in preserved foods. The blend also features in all manner of curries and sautéed preparations, like this recipe.

Prep 10 min
Cooking 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 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

Place the mustard, fenugreek and fennel in a mortar, roughly grind, then set aside. Put the cooking oil in a large frying pan or Indian wok on a moderate flame. Add the ground spices and the asafoetida, and fry, stirring, for a few seconds. Add the ginger, fry for a short while, then add the pumpkin pieces, chili powder and turmeric, and sauté, tossing, for several additional minutes.

Add a small amount liquid to the pan, season with seasoning to taste and bring to a boil. Place lid, reduce the flame, and simmer for about twenty minutes, mixing midway through. Add the jaggery, crushing some of the pieces a bit, then add the mango powder, stir well and serve warm with chapatis or leavened bread.