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It might be unexpected to many readers, but I am not a fan of dal. Only a couple of versions that I enjoyed, and each were prepared by my mum: a citrus-coconut variety, the other a slow-cooked black dal with cream. But now a new fast-cooking dal has joined my hall of fame. And the secret? Pureeing it until perfectly creamy, then serving with roast squash and addictive chilli cashews. It’s a game-changer that’s now on my regular menu.

Citrus Lentils with Baked Pumpkin and Spicy Nuts

Prep 15 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Serves two

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

For the Spiced Nuts

60g cashews
One tsp neutral oil, or olive oil
¼ teaspoon chilli flakes

Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan)/425F/mark 7. Place the diced pumpkin, oil, a teaspoon of salt, and the ground coriander and cumin spice into a baking tray large enough to hold all the vegetables in one layer, and mix well to coat. Roast for 25-30 minutes, until tender and beginning to brown.

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, stirring occasionally, for 20-25 minutes, until the lentils have softened.

Combine the nuts, cooking oil, chilli and a big pinch of salt in a small baking tray. When the squash has eight minutes left, place the nut tray in the same oven; by the time the squash is ready, the cashews ought to be perfectly roasted.

Stir the lentils and season with lime juice and 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 salt!). Continue tweaking and tasting until you’re happy with the flavor, then add the butter.

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

Portion the lentils between two bowls, cover with the baked pumpkin and chilli cashews, sprinkle with the cilantro and serve hot with steamed rice and/or flatbreads.