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It might come as a surprise to some cooks, but I do not particularly enjoy of dal. Only a couple of versions that I enjoyed, and each were made by my mother: a citrus-coconut variety, the other a long-simmered black lentils with cream. But now a new fast-cooking dal has made it into my hall of fame. And the secret? Pureeing it until perfectly creamy, then topping with roast squash and addictive spiced nuts. It’s a revelation that’s now on my weekly rotation.

Lime Dal with Baked Pumpkin and Chilli Cashews

Prep 15 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Serves two

600g butternut squash flesh, diced into 1cm cubes
One tablespoon light-tasting oil
Flaky sea salt
One teaspoon freshly ground coriander
One tsp ground cumin
150 grams red lentils, thoroughly washed
1 garlic clove, skin removed
Half tsp turmeric powder
Juice of 1-2 limes, as preferred
One tsp dairy butter
Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

For the Chilli Cashews

60 grams cashews
1 teaspoon light oil, or olive oil
A quarter teaspoon chilli flakes

Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan)/425F/mark 7. Tip the cubed squash, oil, a teaspoon of sea salt, and the ground coriander and cumin spice into a roasting tin large enough to hold all the veg in a single layer, and mix well to coat. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until tender 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 spice, and heat until boiling. Cover partly, lower the heat and cook gently, mixing now and then, for 20 to 25 minutes, until the lentils are soft.

Combine the nuts, cooking oil, chilli 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 same oven; by the time the squash is ready, the nuts should be nicely toasted.

Stir the lentils and flavor with citrus juice and sea 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’m embarrassed to say how much seasoning!). Keep adjusting and sampling until you’re satisfied with the flavor, then stir in the butter.

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

Divide the dal between two dishes, top with the roast squash and spiced nuts, sprinkle with the coriander and enjoy warm with steamed rice and/or breads.