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It might come as a surprise to some readers, but I am not a fan of dal. There were just two versions that I liked, and each were prepared by my mum: one with lime and coconut, the other a long-simmered black dal with cream. But now a new fast-cooking dal has joined my favorites list. And the key? Pureeing it until perfectly creamy, then serving with roast squash and addictive chilli cashews. It’s a revelation that’s now on my weekly rotation.

Lime Dal with Baked Pumpkin and Spicy Nuts

Prep 15 minutes
Cook 30 min
Serves 2

600 grams butternut squash flesh, cut into 1cm cubes
One tablespoon light-tasting oil
Flaky sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cilantro
1 teaspoon cumin powder
150 grams red lentils, thoroughly washed
One clove of garlic, peeled
½ tsp turmeric powder
Lime juice from 1-2 fruits, to taste
One tsp dairy butter
Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

For the Chilli Cashews

60 grams cashew nuts
One tsp light oil, or olive oil
¼ tsp red pepper flakes

Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan)/425F/mark 7. Place the diced pumpkin, oil, a teaspoon of sea salt, and the coriander powder and cumin into a baking tray large enough to hold all the veg in a single layer, and toss thoroughly to coat. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until cooked through and beginning to brown.

At the same time, place the lentils in a big pot with 500ml recently boiled water, the garlic and the turmeric spice, and bring to a boil. Partially cover, lower 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 squash has eight 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 citrus juice and sea salt to taste. You will need quite a lot of each: consider the dal as a totally neutral base (I used the juice of two limes and I hate to admit how much seasoning!). Continue tweaking and tasting until you’re happy with the flavor, then add the butter.

The last touch, which elevates this meal to the next stage, is to blitz the dal (and the garlic) in batches in a high-speed blender. Taste again – it should be just right.

Portion the lentils between two dishes, cover with the roast squash and spiced nuts, scatter over the coriander and enjoy warm with steamed rice and/or breads.