🔗 Share this article

It's pumpkin season and most anticipated season, especially for all the curries and other comfort food of fall. Today's Northwest Indian stir-fry is one I cook often, and the blend of fresh ginger, chilli and palm sugar lends it a lovely balance of flavour. The biryani, on the other hand, is loaded with aromatic spices, basmati and ghee, which provide so much more taste to the layers of rice and vegetables.

Squash and Mushroom Biryani

National curry week begins around October 6, so how perfect to mark the occasion than with a flavorful, warming, all-in-one-pot layered rice dish? For convenience, prepare the spiced vegetable mixture element ahead of time and layer all components on the occasion you want to serve.

Prep 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, 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, to taste
2 tbsp chopped coriander, to garnish

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, to serve

Begin by preparing the curry base. Heat the clarified butter in a sizable, thick-bottomed pot on a medium heat, add the cumin, bay and cloves, and sauté for a few seconds. Add the sliced onion and cook, frequently turning, for about half an hour, until tender. Once onions begin caramelizing, remove half to a plate and reserve (for later use during the assembly).

Add the green chillies and ginger strips to the onions in pan, fry for a brief period, then mix in the tomato puree, chili powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder, and fry for a minute. Reduce to a gentle flame, stir in the yogurt and cook for a couple of minutes.

Mix in the pumpkin pieces and mushroom halves, stir to coat in the spice mixture, then cook for three minutes. Pour in the stock or water, and add salt to taste. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, place lid and cook gently for about twenty minutes, mixing midway to make sure no sticking to the base of the pan. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro, then take off the stove.

Heat the oven to moderately hot temperature. Rinse the basmati, then put it in a pot with a quart of water and the bay, cardamom pods and salt. Heat to boiling, simmer for around ten minutes, until partially cooked, then strain.

To build the biryani, place a tablespoon of warmed ghee in a oven-safe dish for which you have a tight-fitting lid. Ladle in half the spiced vegetables, then layer with some the cooked grains. Sprinkle half the saffron water, ginger strips, mint leaves, ground cardamom and spice blend, then add the caramelized onions. Top with the remaining vegetable curry, then spoon on the remaining grains. Finish with the remaining clarified butter, saffron liquid, ginger, mint, cardamom powder and garam masala.

Cover with parchment, cover with the lid, then cook on the middle shelf of the oven for 15-17 minutes, so the aromas infuse the grains. Take out of the heat, leave to rest, still covered, for several minutes, then lift off the lid and present with yogurt sauce and fresh salad.

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

The Indian word "achari" refers to seasoning a dish using pickling spices, and the combination includes mustard seeds, fennel, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, hing and nigella, but they're not used only in pickles. The blend also features in all manner of curries and stir-fries, like this recipe.

Preparation 10 min
Cooking 30 min
Serves 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 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 seeds, fenugreek and fennel seeds in a spice grinder, crush coarsely, then reserve. Put the oil in a spacious skillet or Indian wok on a moderate flame. Add the crushed spices and the asafoetida, and fry, mixing, for a brief moment. Mix in the chopped ginger, cook for a minute, then stir in the squash, chilli and turmeric, and sauté, stirring, for several additional minutes.

Add a small amount liquid to the pan, season with salt to taste and heat until bubbling. Place lid, reduce the flame, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring once halfway. Add the palm sugar, crushing some of the pieces a little, then add the mango powder, stir well and present hot with chapatis or naan.