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It might come as a surprise to some cooks, but I am not a fan 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 lentils 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 roast squash and addictive chilli cashews. It’s a game-changer that’s now on my weekly rotation.

Lime Dal with Baked Pumpkin and Chilli Cashews

Prep 15 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Serves 2

600 grams butternut squash flesh, diced into 1-centimeter cubes
1 tablespoon neutral or olive oil
Sea salt flakes
One teaspoon ground cilantro
One tsp ground cumin
150 grams red lentils, thoroughly washed
One garlic clove, skin removed
½ tsp turmeric
Juice of 1-2 limes, to taste
1 tsp dairy butter
Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

For the Spiced Nuts

60 grams cashew nuts
One tsp neutral oil, or extra virgin olive oil
A quarter tsp red pepper flakes

Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan)/425F/gas 7. Tip the cubed squash, oil, a teaspoon of salt, and the coriander powder and cumin into a roasting tin large enough to hold all the veg in a single layer, and mix well to cover. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until cooked through and starting to catch at the edges.

Meanwhile, place the lentils in a large pan 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.

Mix the cashews, 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 oven alongside; by the time the squash is ready, the nuts should be perfectly roasted.

Whisk the dal and flavor with lime juice and salt to taste. You will need quite a lot of both: think of 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 sampling until you’re happy with the seasoning, then stir in the butter.

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

Portion the lentils between two dishes, top with the roast squash and chilli cashews, scatter over the cilantro and enjoy warm with rice and/or flatbreads.