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This could come as a surprise to some cooks, but I am not a fan of dal. Only a couple of versions that I enjoyed, and both were prepared by my mum: a citrus-coconut variety, the other a long-simmered black dal with cream. But now a third quick-cook dal has made it into my hall of fame. And the secret? Blitzing it until very smooth, then topping with roast squash and addictive chilli cashews. It’s a revelation that’s now on my weekly rotation.

Citrus Lentils with Roast Squash and Chilli Cashews

Prep 15 min
Cook 30 minutes
Serves two

600 grams butternut squash flesh, cut into 1cm pieces
1 tbsp neutral or olive oil
Sea salt flakes
One tsp ground cilantro
One tsp ground cumin
150g red split lentils, thoroughly washed
One garlic clove, skin removed
½ teaspoon turmeric
Lime juice from 1-2 fruits, as preferred
1 tsp butter
Chopped fresh coriander, for garnish

For the Spiced Nuts

60g cashew nuts
1 teaspoon neutral oil, or olive oil
¼ tsp chilli flakes

Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan)/425°F/mark 7. Place the diced pumpkin, oil, a tsp of salt, and the coriander powder and cumin into a baking tray large enough to hold all the vegetables in a single layer, and mix well to coat. Roast for 25-30 minutes, until tender and starting to catch at the edges.

At the same time, put the lentils in a big pot with 500 milliliters just-boiled water, the garlic clove and the turmeric, and heat until boiling. Cover partly, reduce the heat and cook gently, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes, until the lentils are soft.

Mix the cashews, oil, chilli flakes and a generous pinch of sea salt in a small oven tray. When the squash has 8 minutes left, pop the cashew tray in the same oven; by the time the pumpkin is done, the cashews ought to be perfectly roasted.

Whisk the dal and flavor with citrus juice and sea salt to taste. You will need a good amount of each: think of the dal as a completely blank canvas (I added the juice from two limes and I hate to admit how much seasoning!). Continue tweaking and sampling until you’re satisfied with the flavor, then add the butter.

My final step, which takes this dish to the next level, is to blitz the dal (and the garlic clove) in batches in a high-speed blender. Taste again – it should be perfect.

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 flatbreads.