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It might come as a surprise to some readers, but I am not a fan of dal. Only a couple of types that I enjoyed, and both were made by my mother: a citrus-coconut variety, the other a long-simmered black lentils with cream. But now a third fast-cooking dal has made it into my favorites list. And the key? Blitzing it until very smooth, then serving with baked pumpkin and moreish spiced nuts. It’s a game-changer that’s now on my weekly rotation.

Citrus Lentils with Roast Squash and Chilli Cashews

Prep 15 minutes
Cook 30 min
Serves two

600 grams pumpkin cubes, diced into 1cm pieces
One tablespoon light-tasting oil
Flaky sea salt
1 tsp ground cilantro
One teaspoon cumin powder
150 grams red lentils, rinsed well
1 clove of garlic, skin removed
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
Juice of 1-2 limes, to taste
One teaspoon butter
Chopped fresh coriander, for garnish

For the Chilli Cashews

60g cashews
1 tsp neutral oil, or extra virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan)/425°F/mark 7. Place the diced pumpkin, oil, a tsp of sea salt, and the ground coriander and cumin into a baking tray big enough to hold all the veg in one layer, and mix well to coat. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until tender and starting to catch at the edges.

Meanwhile, put the lentils in a big pot with 500ml just-boiled water, the garlic and the turmeric, and heat until boiling. Partially cover, reduce the heat and cook gently, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes, until the lentils are soft.

Combine the nuts, cooking oil, chilli and a generous pinch of sea salt in a small oven tray. When the squash has 8 minutes left, place the nut tray in the same oven; by the time the pumpkin is done, the nuts should be nicely toasted.

Whisk the dal and season with lime juice and sea salt to taste. You will need a good amount of both: think of the dal as a totally neutral base (I added the juice of two limes and I’m embarrassed to say how much seasoning!). Keep adjusting and sampling until you’re happy with the seasoning, then stir in the butter.

My final step, which elevates this meal to the next level, is to puree the lentils (and the garlic clove) in portions in a high-speed blender. Taste again – it should be perfect.

Divide the dal between two dishes, top with the baked pumpkin and spiced nuts, sprinkle with the cilantro and enjoy warm with steamed rice and/or flatbreads.