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This could come as a surprise to many cooks, but I am not a fan of dal. Only a couple of versions that I enjoyed, and each were made by my mother: a citrus-coconut variety, the other a long-simmered black dal with cream. But now a new quick-cook dal has joined my hall of fame. And the key? Pureeing it until perfectly creamy, then topping with roast squash and moreish chilli cashews. It’s a game-changer that’s now on my weekly rotation.

Citrus Lentils with Roast Squash and Chilli Cashews

Prep 15 min
Cook 30 min
Serves two

600g pumpkin cubes, diced into 1cm pieces
One tbsp light-tasting oil
Sea salt flakes
1 teaspoon freshly ground coriander
One tsp cumin powder
150 grams red split lentils, rinsed well
One garlic clove, peeled
Half teaspoon turmeric powder
Juice of 1-2 limes, as preferred
1 tsp butter
Chopped fresh coriander, to serve

For the Chilli Cashews

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

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

At the same time, place the lentils in a large pan with 500ml recently boiled water, the garlic and the turmeric, and bring to a boil. Cover partly, reduce the heat and simmer, mixing now and then, for 20-25 minutes, until the lentils are soft.

Combine the nuts, cooking oil, chilli flakes and a big pinch of salt in a small baking tray. When the squash has eight minutes left, pop the cashew tray in the same oven; by the time the squash is ready, the nuts should be perfectly roasted.

Whisk the dal and flavor with lime juice and salt to taste. You will need quite a lot of both: consider the dal as a totally neutral base (I used the juice from two limes and I’m embarrassed to say how much seasoning!). Continue tweaking and sampling until you’re satisfied with the flavor, then add the butter.

The last touch, which elevates this meal to the next stage, is to puree the lentils (and the garlic clove) in batches in a high-speed blender. Taste again – it should be perfect.

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