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It might come as a surprise to many readers, 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 long-simmered black dal with cream. But now a new quick-cook dal has joined my favorites list. And the secret? Blitzing it until very smooth, then serving with roast squash and moreish chilli cashews. It’s a revelation that’s now on my regular menu.

Lime Dal with Roast Squash and Spicy Nuts

Prep 15 minutes
Cook 30 min
Serves 2

600 grams pumpkin cubes, diced into 1-centimeter cubes
One tbsp neutral or olive oil
Flaky sea salt
One teaspoon ground cilantro
One teaspoon cumin powder
150 grams red split lentils, thoroughly washed
One clove of garlic, skin removed
½ teaspoon turmeric
Lime juice from 1-2 fruits, to taste
1 tsp dairy butter
Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

For the Spiced Nuts

60g cashew nuts
1 tsp light oil, or olive oil
A quarter teaspoon red pepper flakes

Preheat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425°F/gas 7. Place the diced pumpkin, cooking oil, a teaspoon of salt, and the coriander powder and cumin spice into a roasting tin big enough to hold all the vegetables in a single layer, and toss thoroughly to coat. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until tender and starting to catch at the edges.

Meanwhile, place the lentils in a large pan with 500ml just-boiled water, the garlic and the turmeric, and heat until boiling. Partially cover, lower the heat and simmer, mixing now and then, for 20-25 minutes, until the lentils are soft.

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

Whisk the dal and flavor with lime juice and salt to taste. You will need quite a lot of each: think of the dal as a completely blank canvas (I added the juice from two limes and I’m embarrassed to say how much salt!). Continue tweaking and tasting until you’re happy with the seasoning, then stir in the butter.

The last touch, which takes this dish to the next level, is to blitz the dal (and the garlic clove) in portions in a powerful blender. Taste again – it should be perfect.

Divide the dal between two dishes, top with the baked pumpkin and chilli cashews, scatter over the cilantro and serve hot with rice and/or flatbreads.