🔗 Share this article

This marks pumpkin season and most anticipated season, especially for all the spiced dishes and other comfort food of fall. Today's Rajasthani sautéed dish is a regular in my kitchen, and the combination of fresh ginger, chili and jaggery gives it a wonderful flavor harmony. This layered rice dish, on the other hand, is packed with whole spices, basmati and ghee, which provide so much more flavour to the strata of rice and produce.

Mushroom and Squash Biryani

A celebration of curry dishes starts on early October, so what better way to mark the occasion than with a rich, warming, all-in-one-pot layered rice dish? If you like, make the spiced vegetable mixture element in advance and assemble all components on the occasion you plan to eat.

Prep 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, 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, cubed
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

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 curry base. Heat the clarified butter in a sizable, thick-bottomed pot on a medium heat, incorporate the cumin seeds, bay and cloves, and fry for a brief moment. Stir in the onion slices and cook, frequently turning, for about half an hour, until softened. Once onions begin caramelizing, transfer half of them to a separate dish and reserve (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 powder and coriander, and sauté for a short while. Turn down to a low heat, blend in the yogurt and cook for a couple of minutes.

Add the squash and mushroom halves, stir to coat in the spices, then fry for several minutes. Add the liquid, and season to taste. Heat until boiling, then lower the temperature, cover and cook gently for 18-20 minutes, mixing midway to make sure no sticking to the base of the pot. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro, then remove from the stove.

Preheat the oven to moderately hot temperature. Rinse the rice, then put it in a pot with a quart of water and the bay leaves, cardamom pods and salt. Heat to boiling, simmer for 10-12 minutes, until partially cooked, then strain.

For assembling the biryani, place a spoonful of melted ghee in a casserole pot for which you have a secure cover. Ladle in half the vegetable curry, then layer with half the cooked grains. Sprinkle a portion the saffron water, ginger, mint, ground cardamom and garam masala, then add the reserved fried onions. Layer with the remaining vegetable curry, then arrange the remaining grains. Top with the rest of ghee, saffron water, ginger, mint, cardamom powder and spice mix.

Cover with parchment, place lid securely, then bake on the middle shelf of the oven for about fifteen minutes, so all the flavours soak into the rice. Take out of the heat, leave to rest, keeping covered, for several minutes, then remove the cover and present with raita and fresh salad.

Rajasthani Achari Kaddu (Squash with Spice Blend Sauté)

The Hindi term "pickling style" refers to flavouring a dish using pickling spices, and the combination contains mustard seeds, fennel, fenugreek seeds, cumin, asafoetida and nigella, but their use extends beyond in pickles. The blend also features in various types of curries and sautéed preparations, 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 use 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 and fennel in a mortar, crush coarsely, then set aside. Heat the oil in a spacious skillet or kadhai on a moderate flame. Add the ground spices and the hing, and sauté, stirring, for a brief moment. Add the chopped ginger, cook for a short while, then add the squash, chilli and turmeric, and sauté, tossing, for five minutes more.

Pour a small amount water to the pan, salt with salt to taste and bring to a boil. Cover, turn down the heat, and leave to cook 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 serve warm with chapatis or leavened bread.