Aromatic Rice Dish and Chunky Spicy Pumpkin: Delicious Indian-Inspired Squash Recipes

This marks squash season and my favourite time of the year, not least for all the spiced dishes and other comfort food of autumn. Today's Northwest Indian stir-fry is one I cook often, and the combination of ginger, chili and jaggery gives it a lovely flavor harmony. This layered rice dish, on the other hand, is loaded with aromatic spices, basmati and ghee, which give enhanced taste to the layers of grains and produce.

Squash and Mushroom Biryani

National curry week begins around October 6, so what better way to mark the occasion than with a rich, comforting, single-pot layered rice dish? For convenience, prepare the vegetable curry element ahead of time and layer everything on the day you want to serve.

Preparation 20 min
Cooking 2 hr
Serves 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 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, 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 ghee in a large, heavy-based saucepan on a medium heat, add the cumin seeds, bay and clove spices, and sauté for a few seconds. Add the sliced onion and cook, stirring often, for 30-35 minutes, until tender. Once onions begin caramelizing, transfer half of them to a plate and set aside (for later use during the layering).

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

Mix in the pumpkin pieces and mushroom halves, toss to cover in the spice mixture, then fry for three minutes. Add the stock or water, and season to taste. Heat until boiling, then turn down the heat, place lid and cook gently for 18-20 minutes, mixing midway to ensure nothing's stuck to the bottom of the pan. Garnish with fresh cilantro, then remove from the heat.

Preheat 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 10-12 minutes, until partially cooked, then strain.

To build the layered dish, place a spoonful of warmed ghee in a oven-safe dish for which you have a secure cover. Ladle in one portion the spiced vegetables, then layer with some the rice. Sprinkle a portion the saffron water, ginger strips, mint leaves, ground cardamom and garam masala, then add the caramelized onions. Top with the remaining vegetable curry, then arrange the remaining rice. Top with the remaining clarified butter, saffron water, ginger, mint, cardamom powder and garam masala.

Seal with baking paper, cover with the lid, then cook on the middle shelf of the oven for 15-17 minutes, so the aromas infuse the rice. Remove of the heat, leave to rest, keeping covered, for 10 minutes, then remove the lid and present with yogurt sauce and fresh salad.

Traditional Indian Achari Kaddu (Pumpkin with Spice Blend Stir-Fry)

The Hindi term "pickling style" refers to seasoning a preparation using pickling spices, and the combination contains mustard, fennel, fenugreek, cumin seeds, asafoetida and nigella, but they're not used only in preserved foods. This mixture also appears in various types of curries and stir-fries, such as this one.

Prep 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 pumpkin, cubed
1 tsp mild chilli powder
½ tsp ground turmeric
Salt, as needed
1 tbsp jaggery, or substitute with brown sugar
2 tsp dried mango powder

Place the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and fennel in a mortar, crush coarsely, then set aside. Heat the cooking oil in a large frying pan or Indian wok on a moderate flame. Introduce the crushed spices and the asafoetida, and sauté, mixing, for a brief moment. Add the chopped ginger, cook for a minute, then add the squash, chili powder and turmeric, and fry, stirring, for several additional minutes.

Add a small amount water to the pan, salt with seasoning to taste and bring to a boil. Cover, turn down the heat, and simmer for about twenty minutes, stirring once halfway. Add the palm sugar, breaking up chunks a bit, then incorporate the mango powder, mix thoroughly and serve warm with flatbreads or leavened bread.