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It might be unexpected to some readers, but I am not a fan of dal. Only a couple of types that I liked, and both were made by my mother: a citrus-coconut variety, the other a long-simmered black dal with cream. But now a third fast-cooking dal has joined my hall of fame. And the key? Pureeing 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 Baked Pumpkin and Spicy Nuts

Prep 15 min
Cook 30 min
Serves 2

600g butternut squash flesh, cut into 1cm pieces
One tablespoon neutral or olive oil
Sea salt flakes
One teaspoon freshly ground coriander
1 teaspoon cumin powder
150g red lentils, thoroughly washed
1 garlic clove, skin removed
Half teaspoon turmeric powder
Lime juice from 1-2 fruits, to taste
1 tsp butter
Chopped fresh coriander, for garnish

For the Spiced Nuts

60g cashew nuts
1 teaspoon neutral oil, or extra virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C 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 big enough to hold all the veg in one layer, and toss thoroughly to coat. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until cooked through and beginning to brown.

At the same time, put the lentils in a large pan with 500 milliliters recently boiled water, the garlic clove and the turmeric, and bring to a boil. Cover partly, reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes, until the lentils are soft.

Mix the cashews, cooking oil, chilli and a big pinch of sea salt in a small baking tray. When the pumpkin has 8 minutes left, place the nut tray in the oven alongside; by the time the pumpkin is done, the cashews ought to be perfectly roasted.

Stir the lentils and season with citrus juice and sea salt to taste. You will need quite a lot of each: consider the dal as a totally neutral base (I added 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 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. Taste again – it should be perfect.

Divide the dal between two bowls, top with the baked pumpkin and spiced nuts, sprinkle with the coriander and serve hot with rice and/or breads.