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It might come as a surprise to some readers, but I am not a fan of dal. Only a couple of versions that I enjoyed, and both were prepared by my mum: one with lime and coconut, the other a long-simmered black lentils with rich cream. But now a third fast-cooking dal has made it into my hall of fame. And the key? Pureeing it until very smooth, then serving with roast squash and moreish spiced nuts. It’s a revelation that’s now on my regular menu.

Lime Dal with Baked Pumpkin and Spicy Nuts

Prep 15 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Serves two

600 grams butternut squash flesh, diced into 1cm pieces
1 tablespoon neutral or olive oil
Sea salt flakes
1 tsp freshly ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
150g red split lentils, thoroughly washed
One clove of garlic, peeled
½ tsp turmeric
Lime juice from 1-2 fruits, to taste
1 tsp dairy butter
Chopped fresh coriander, for garnish

For the Chilli Cashews

60 grams cashews
One tsp light oil, or extra virgin olive oil
A quarter teaspoon red pepper flakes

Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan)/425°F/gas 7. Place the diced pumpkin, cooking oil, a tsp of salt, and the ground coriander and cumin into a roasting tin large enough to hold all the vegetables in one layer, and mix well to cover. Roast for 25-30 minutes, until tender and starting to catch at the edges.

At the same time, place the lentils in a big pot with 500ml just-boiled water, the garlic clove and the turmeric, and heat until boiling. Cover partly, lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20-25 minutes, until the lentils have softened.

Combine the nuts, oil, chilli flakes and a generous pinch of sea salt in a small baking tray. When the squash has 8 minutes left, pop the cashew tray in the same oven; by the time the pumpkin is done, the cashews ought to be nicely toasted.

Whisk the dal and season with citrus juice and salt to taste. You will need quite a lot of both: think of the dal as a completely blank canvas (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 add the butter.

My final step, which takes this dish to the next level, is to blitz the dal (and the garlic clove) in portions in a powerful blender. Sample once more – it should be perfect.

Divide the dal between two dishes, cover with the baked pumpkin and chilli cashews, scatter over the coriander and enjoy warm with rice and/or flatbreads.