Aromatic Rice Dish and Thick-Cut Chilli Pumpkin: Delicious Indian-Inspired Squash Dishes

It's pumpkin season and most anticipated season, not least for all the curries and other hearty meals of fall. Today's Rajasthani sautéed dish is a regular in my kitchen, and the blend of ginger, chilli and palm sugar lends it a wonderful balance of flavour. The biryani, meanwhile, is packed with whole spices, basmati and clarified butter, which give so much more taste to the layers of rice and vegetables.

Squash and Mushroom Biryani

National curry week starts on October 6, so how perfect to mark the occasion than with a rich, warming, all-in-one-pot biryani? For convenience, prepare the spiced vegetable mixture component ahead of time and layer everything on the occasion 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, julienned
2 tbsp tomato puree
¼ tsp mild chilli powder, or substitute with mild paprika
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 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, thick-bottomed pot on a moderate flame, incorporate the cumin, bay and cloves, and sauté for a brief moment. Add the onion slices and cook, stirring often, for 30-35 minutes, until tender. When the onions start to brown, transfer half of them to a separate dish and set aside (for later use during the layering).

Introduce the green chillies and ginger to the remaining onions, fry for a brief period, then mix in the tomato puree, chili powder, turmeric and coriander, and fry for a short while. Turn down to a gentle flame, stir in the yoghurt and simmer for two minutes.

Add the squash and mushrooms, toss to cover in the spices, then cook for several minutes. Add the stock or water, and season to taste. Heat until boiling, then lower the temperature, place lid and cook gently for about twenty minutes, stirring once halfway to ensure nothing's stuck to the base of the pot. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro, then remove from the heat.

Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Rinse the basmati, then put it in a saucepan with a litre of water and the bay leaves, cardamom pods and seasoning. Bring to a boil, simmer for around ten minutes, until three-quarters cooked, then strain.

To build the biryani, place a spoonful of melted ghee in a oven-safe dish for which you have a tight-fitting lid. Spoon one portion the spiced vegetables, then top that with some the rice. Sprinkle half the saffron infusion, ginger, mint, cardamom powder and spice blend, then add the caramelized onions. Top with the rest of vegetable curry, then spoon on the leftover rice. Top with the rest of clarified butter, saffron water, ginger, mint, ground cardamom and garam masala.

Seal with baking paper, cover with the lid, then bake on the center rack of the oven for 15-17 minutes, so all the flavours soak into the rice. Take out of the oven, leave to rest, still covered, for 10 minutes, then remove the cover and present with raita and salad.

Rajasthani Achari Kaddu (Squash with Pickling Spices Stir-Fry)

The Indian word "achari" describes flavouring a dish using pickling spices, and the mix contains mustard seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek, cumin seeds, asafoetida and kalonji, but they're not used only in pickles. The blend also features in various types of curries and sautéed preparations, such as this one.

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, 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

Put the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and fennel in a mortar, roughly grind, then set aside. Heat the cooking oil in a large frying pan or kadhai on a medium heat. Add the ground spices and the hing, and sauté, mixing, for a brief moment. Mix in the ginger, fry for a minute, then stir in the squash, chili powder and turmeric, and sauté, tossing, for five minutes more.

Add 50ml liquid to the pan, salt with salt to taste and bring to a boil. Cover, turn down the heat, and simmer for about twenty minutes, stirring once halfway. Mix in the palm sugar, breaking up chunks a little, then add the dried mango, mix thoroughly and serve warm with flatbreads or naan.