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It might be unexpected to some cooks, but I am not a fan of dal. Only a couple of types that I liked, and each were made by my mother: a citrus-coconut variety, the other a slow-cooked black dal with rich cream. But now a third fast-cooking dal has made it into my hall of fame. And the secret? Blitzing it until very smooth, then serving with baked pumpkin and addictive chilli cashews. 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 2

600 grams butternut squash flesh, diced into 1-centimeter pieces
1 tbsp light-tasting oil
Sea salt flakes
1 teaspoon ground cilantro
One teaspoon cumin powder
150g red lentils, thoroughly washed
One garlic clove, peeled
Half teaspoon turmeric
Juice of 1-2 limes, as preferred
1 teaspoon dairy butter
Chopped fresh coriander, to serve

For the Spiced Nuts

60 grams cashews
One tsp neutral oil, or olive oil
A quarter teaspoon chilli flakes

Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/mark 7. Place the diced pumpkin, cooking oil, a tsp of sea salt, and the ground coriander and cumin spice into a roasting tin large enough to hold all the veg in one layer, and toss thoroughly to cover. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until cooked through and beginning to brown.

Meanwhile, put the lentils in a big pot with 500 milliliters recently boiled water, the garlic and the turmeric spice, and bring to a boil. Partially cover, lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20-25 minutes, until the lentils are soft.

Combine the nuts, cooking 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 squash is ready, the nuts should be perfectly roasted.

Whisk the dal and flavor with lime juice and salt to taste. You will need a good amount 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!). Continue tweaking and sampling until you’re happy with the flavor, then add the butter.

My final step, which elevates this meal to the next level, is to blitz the dal (and the garlic clove) in batches in a powerful 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 breads.