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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 types that I enjoyed, and both were made by my mother: one with lime and coconut, the other a slow-cooked black lentils with rich cream. But now a new quick-cook dal has made it into my favorites list. And the secret? Pureeing it until very smooth, then topping with roast squash and moreish chilli cashews. It’s a game-changer that’s now on my weekly rotation.

Citrus Lentils with Baked Pumpkin and Chilli Cashews

Prep 15 minutes
Cook 30 min
Serves 2

600 grams pumpkin cubes, diced into 1-centimeter cubes
1 tablespoon neutral or olive oil
Flaky sea salt
One tsp freshly ground coriander
One teaspoon ground cumin
150g red lentils, rinsed well
One garlic clove, skin removed
Half teaspoon turmeric powder
Juice of 1-2 limes, to taste
1 tsp butter
Fresh cilantro leaves, to serve

For the Chilli Cashews

60 grams cashews
One teaspoon light oil, or extra virgin olive oil
A quarter teaspoon chilli flakes

Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan)/425°F/mark 7. Tip the cubed squash, cooking oil, a teaspoon of salt, and the ground coriander and cumin into a baking tray big enough to hold all the vegetables in a single layer, and mix well to coat. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until tender and beginning to brown.

At the same time, place the lentils in a large pan with 500 milliliters just-boiled water, the garlic clove and the turmeric spice, and bring to a boil. Cover partly, lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes, until the lentils have softened.

Combine the nuts, cooking oil, chilli flakes and a big pinch of sea salt in a small oven tray. When the pumpkin has eight minutes left, pop the cashew tray in the oven alongside; by the time the squash is ready, the nuts should be perfectly roasted.

Stir the lentils and season 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 seasoning!). Keep adjusting and sampling until you’re satisfied with the flavor, then add the butter.

My final step, which takes this dish to the next stage, is to blitz the dal (and the garlic) in portions in a high-speed blender. Taste again – it should be just right.

Divide the dal between two dishes, top with the roast squash and spiced nuts, scatter over the coriander and serve hot with rice and/or breads.