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It might be unexpected to many cooks, but I am not a fan of dal. Only a couple of versions that I enjoyed, and both were made by my mother: one with lime and coconut, the other a long-simmered black dal with rich cream. But now a new fast-cooking dal has made it into my hall of fame. And the key? Pureeing it until very smooth, then serving with baked pumpkin and moreish chilli cashews. It’s a game-changer that’s now on my regular menu.

Lime Dal with Baked Pumpkin and Chilli Cashews

Prep 15 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Serves two

600g butternut squash flesh, cut into 1-centimeter pieces
1 tbsp light-tasting oil
Flaky sea salt
One teaspoon freshly ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
150 grams red split lentils, rinsed well
1 garlic clove, peeled
½ teaspoon turmeric
Juice of 1-2 limes, as preferred
1 tsp dairy butter
Chopped fresh coriander, for garnish

For the Chilli Cashews

60g cashews
One teaspoon neutral oil, or extra virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Preheat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7. Tip the cubed squash, cooking oil, a teaspoon of sea 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 cover. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until cooked through and starting to catch at the edges.

At the same time, put the lentils in a large pan with 500ml just-boiled water, the garlic and the turmeric spice, and heat until boiling. Partially cover, reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20-25 minutes, until the lentils are soft.

Combine the nuts, cooking oil, chilli flakes 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 squash is ready, the cashews ought to be nicely toasted.

Stir the lentils and season with lime 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 from two limes and I’m embarrassed to say how much salt!). Continue tweaking and sampling until you’re happy with the flavor, then stir in the butter.

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

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