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This marks pumpkin season and my favourite time of the year, not least for all the curries and other hearty meals of fall. This Rajasthani stir-fry is one I cook often, and the combination of ginger, chilli and jaggery gives it a wonderful balance of flavour. The biryani, meanwhile, is packed with aromatic spices, long-grain rice and clarified butter, which provide enhanced taste to the layers of rice and produce.

Mushroom and Squash Biryani

A celebration of curry dishes begins around early October, so how perfect to mark the occasion than with a rich, warming, all-in-one-pot layered rice dish? For convenience, make the vegetable curry component ahead of time and assemble all components on the occasion you plan to eat.

Preparation 20 min
Cook 2 hr
Yields 4

For the vegetable curry base
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, 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, cut into bite-sized pieces
300g button mushrooms, cleaned and halved
400ml vegetable stock, or water
Salt, as needed
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, soaked in 3 tbsp 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 gravy. Heat the ghee in a sizable, heavy-based saucepan on a medium heat, incorporate the cumin seeds, bay leaves and cloves, and fry for a brief moment. Add the sliced onion and cook, frequently turning, for 30-35 minutes, until softened. When the onions start to brown, transfer half of them to a separate dish and set aside (you'll use them later during the assembly).

Add the fresh chilies and ginger strips to the remaining onions, fry for a minute, then mix in the tomato puree, chilli powder, turmeric powder and coriander, and fry for a short while. Turn down to a low heat, blend in the yoghurt and simmer for a couple of minutes.

Mix in the pumpkin pieces and mushroom halves, stir to coat in the spice mixture, then cook for several minutes. Pour in the stock or water, and season to taste. Heat until boiling, then turn down the temperature, place lid and simmer for 18-20 minutes, mixing midway to make sure nothing's stuck to the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro, then take off the heat.

Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Wash the basmati, then put it in a saucepan with a quart of water and the bay, cardamom and seasoning. Heat to boiling, simmer for 10-12 minutes, until partially cooked, then drain.

To build the layered dish, put a tablespoon of warmed ghee in a casserole pot for which you have a secure cover. Ladle in one portion the vegetable curry, then top that with some the cooked grains. Add half the saffron infusion, ginger, mint, ground cardamom and garam masala, then top with the caramelized onions. Top with the rest of curry mixture, then spoon on the remaining grains. Finish with the rest of ghee, saffron water, ginger, mint, cardamom powder 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 the aromas soak into the grains. Remove of the heat, leave to rest, still covered, for 10 minutes, then lift off the lid and serve with raita and salad.

Traditional Indian Achari Kaddu (Squash with Pickling Spices Stir-Fry)

The Hindi term "pickling style" describes seasoning a dish using preserving spices, and the combination contains mustard, fennel, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, hing and nigella, but their use extends beyond in pickles. This mixture also features in various types of curries 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 use 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

Place the mustard seeds, fenugreek and fennel seeds in a mortar, roughly grind, then set aside. Put the cooking oil in a spacious skillet or kadhai on a medium heat. Add the crushed spices and the hing, and fry, stirring, for a brief moment. Mix in the ginger, cook for a minute, then stir in the squash, chili powder and turmeric, and sauté, tossing, for five minutes more.

Add 50ml water to the pot, salt with seasoning to taste and bring to a boil. Place lid, reduce the flame, and leave to cook for about twenty minutes, stirring once halfway. Mix in the palm sugar, crushing some of the pieces a bit, then incorporate the dried mango, stir well and present hot with flatbreads or naan.