🔗 Share this article

It's squash season and most anticipated season, not least for all the spiced dishes and other comfort food of fall. Today's Northwest Indian sautéed dish is a regular in my kitchen, and the combination of ginger, chilli and palm sugar gives it a lovely flavor harmony. This layered rice dish, on the other hand, is packed with whole spices, basmati and clarified butter, which provide enhanced flavour to the strata of rice and vegetables.

Mushroom and Squash Biryani

National curry week starts on early October, so how perfect to mark the occasion than with a flavorful, comforting, single-pot biryani? For convenience, prepare the vegetable curry component ahead of time and assemble all components on the occasion you plan to eat.

Preparation 20 min
Cook 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, 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 use water
Salt, to taste
2 tbsp chopped coriander, to garnish

For the rice
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, julienned
3 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint leaves
1 tsp ground cardamom powder
1 tsp garam masala
Raita and salad, to serve

Begin by preparing the curry base. Melt the ghee in a large, thick-bottomed pot on a moderate flame, add the cumin seeds, bay leaves and cloves, and fry for a brief moment. Add the sliced onion and cook, stirring often, for about half an hour, until softened. When the onions start to brown, transfer half of them to a separate dish and set aside (for later use during the assembly).

Introduce the green chillies and ginger to the onions in pan, cook for a brief period, then stir in the tomato puree, chili powder, turmeric and coriander, and sauté for a short while. Turn down to a gentle flame, stir in the yogurt and cook for two minutes.

Add the pumpkin pieces and mushroom halves, stir to coat in the spices, then cook for several minutes. Add the stock or water, and season to taste. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and simmer for about twenty minutes, stirring once halfway to make sure no sticking to the base of the pan. Garnish with fresh cilantro, then remove from the heat.

Preheat the oven to moderately hot temperature. Rinse the rice, then place it in a saucepan with a quart of water and the bay leaves, cardamom and salt. Bring to a boil, cook for around ten minutes, until partially cooked, then drain.

For assembling the layered dish, put a spoonful of melted ghee in a oven-safe dish for which you have a tight-fitting lid. Spoon half the vegetable curry, then top that with some the rice. Add a portion the saffron infusion, ginger strips, mint, cardamom powder and spice blend, then add the caramelized onions. Layer with the rest of curry mixture, then arrange the leftover rice. Finish with the remaining ghee, saffron liquid, ginger, mint, ground cardamom and garam masala.

Cover with parchment, cover with the lid, then bake on the center rack of the oven for about fifteen minutes, so the aromas soak into the rice. Take out of the oven, allow to stand, still covered, for 10 minutes, then remove the cover and present with raita and fresh salad.

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

The Indian word "achari" describes seasoning a preparation using pickling spices, and the combination includes mustard seeds, fennel, fenugreek, cumin, asafoetida and kalonji, but they're not used only in preserved foods. This mixture also appears in various types of spiced dishes and sautéed preparations, 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, to taste
1 tbsp jaggery, or substitute with brown sugar
2 tsp dried mango powder

Place the mustard, fenugreek and fennel in a spice grinder, roughly grind, then reserve. Put the oil in a large frying pan or kadhai on a medium heat. Add the ground spices and the asafoetida, and fry, stirring, for a brief moment. Add the ginger, cook for a minute, then stir in the pumpkin pieces, chilli and turmeric, and sauté, stirring, for five minutes more.

Pour a small amount water to the pan, season with salt to taste and heat until bubbling. Cover, reduce the flame, and simmer for about twenty minutes, mixing midway through. Add the jaggery, crushing some of the pieces a little, then add the mango powder, stir well and present hot with chapatis or leavened bread.