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It might come as a surprise to some readers, but I do not particularly enjoy of dal. Only a couple of types that I enjoyed, and both were prepared by my mum: a citrus-coconut variety, the other a long-simmered black dal with cream. But now a third fast-cooking dal has made it into my favorites list. And the secret? Pureeing it until very smooth, then serving with baked pumpkin and addictive 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 minutes
Serves 2

600g butternut squash flesh, cut into 1-centimeter pieces
One tbsp light-tasting oil
Flaky sea salt
One teaspoon ground cilantro
1 teaspoon cumin powder
150 grams red lentils, thoroughly washed
One garlic clove, peeled
Half tsp turmeric
Juice of 1-2 limes, to taste
1 tsp butter
Fresh cilantro leaves, to serve

For the Spiced Nuts

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

Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan)/425F/mark 7. Place the diced pumpkin, cooking oil, a tsp of salt, and the coriander powder 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 to 30 minutes, until tender and starting to catch at the edges.

At the same time, place the lentils in a big pot with 500 milliliters recently boiled water, the garlic and the turmeric, and bring to a boil. Cover partly, reduce the heat and cook gently, stirring occasionally, 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 pumpkin has 8 minutes left, pop the cashew tray in the oven alongside; by the time the pumpkin is done, the cashews ought to be perfectly roasted.

Stir the lentils and flavor with citrus juice and salt to taste. You will need quite a lot of both: consider the dal as a totally neutral base (I added the juice of two limes and I’m embarrassed to say how much seasoning!). Keep adjusting and sampling until you’re happy with the seasoning, then stir in the butter.

The last touch, which elevates this meal to the next stage, is to blitz the dal (and the garlic clove) in batches in a high-speed blender. Sample once more – it should be perfect.

Divide the dal between two bowls, cover with the roast squash and spiced nuts, scatter over the cilantro and enjoy warm with rice and/or breads.