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This could come as a surprise to many readers, but I am not a fan of dal. Only a couple of types that I enjoyed, and both were prepared by my mum: a citrus-coconut variety, the other a long-simmered black dal with rich cream. But now a third quick-cook dal has made it into my favorites list. And the key? Pureeing it until perfectly creamy, then topping with roast squash and addictive spiced nuts. It’s a game-changer that’s now on my regular menu.

Lime Dal with Roast Squash and Chilli Cashews

Prep 15 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Serves two

600g butternut squash flesh, diced into 1cm cubes
One tbsp neutral or olive oil
Flaky sea salt
One teaspoon ground cilantro
One teaspoon ground cumin
150g red split lentils, thoroughly washed
One clove of garlic, skin removed
½ tsp turmeric powder
Lime juice from 1-2 fruits, as preferred
1 tsp butter
Chopped fresh coriander, for garnish

For the Spiced Nuts

60g cashew nuts
1 tsp neutral oil, or extra virgin olive oil
¼ tsp chilli flakes

Preheat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425°F/gas 7. Place the diced pumpkin, cooking oil, a teaspoon of sea salt, and the coriander powder and cumin spice into a baking tray big enough to hold all the vegetables in a single layer, and mix well to cover. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until cooked through and starting to catch at the edges.

At the same time, place the lentils in a big pot with 500ml recently boiled water, the garlic clove and the turmeric spice, and bring to a boil. Partially cover, reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes, until the lentils are soft.

Combine the nuts, oil, chilli and a big pinch of salt in a small oven tray. When the pumpkin has 8 minutes left, place the nut tray in the same oven; by the time the pumpkin is done, the nuts should be perfectly roasted.

Whisk the dal and season with citrus juice and salt to taste. You will need quite a lot of each: consider the dal as a completely blank canvas (I used the juice of two limes and I hate to admit how much seasoning!). Keep adjusting and tasting until you’re happy with the flavor, then stir in the butter.

The last touch, which elevates this meal to the next level, is to blitz the dal (and the garlic) in batches in a powerful blender. Sample once more – it should be perfect.

Portion the lentils between two bowls, top with the baked pumpkin and spiced nuts, sprinkle with the coriander and serve hot with rice and/or flatbreads.