🔗 Share this article

It might come as a surprise to many cooks, but I am not a fan of dal. Only a couple of types that I liked, and each were prepared by my mum: one with lime and coconut, the other a slow-cooked black dal with rich cream. But now a third fast-cooking dal has joined my favorites list. And the secret? Blitzing it until perfectly creamy, then topping with roast squash and moreish spiced nuts. It’s a revelation that’s now on my regular menu.

Citrus Lentils with Roast Squash and Chilli Cashews

Prep 15 minutes
Cook 30 min
Serves two

600 grams butternut squash flesh, cut into 1-centimeter pieces
1 tablespoon neutral or olive oil
Sea salt flakes
One teaspoon freshly ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
150g red lentils, rinsed well
1 garlic clove, skin removed
Half tsp turmeric powder
Juice of 1-2 limes, as preferred
One tsp butter
Chopped fresh coriander, to serve

For the Spiced Nuts

60 grams cashews
One teaspoon neutral oil, or extra virgin olive oil
¼ tsp chilli flakes

Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan)/425F/mark 7. Tip the cubed squash, cooking oil, a teaspoon of salt, and the coriander powder and cumin spice into a roasting tin large enough to hold all the veg in one layer, and toss thoroughly to cover. Roast for 25-30 minutes, until cooked through and starting to catch at the edges.

Meanwhile, place the lentils in a large pan with 500 milliliters recently boiled water, the garlic clove and the turmeric, and bring to a boil. Cover partly, reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20-25 minutes, until the lentils have softened.

Mix the cashews, oil, chilli and a big pinch of sea salt in a small oven tray. When the squash has eight minutes left, place the nut tray in the same oven; by the time the pumpkin is done, the nuts should be nicely toasted.

Whisk the dal and season with citrus juice and salt to taste. You will need quite a lot of both: consider the dal as a completely blank canvas (I added the juice of two limes and I’m embarrassed to say how much salt!). Keep adjusting and sampling until you’re satisfied with the seasoning, then add the butter.

My final step, which elevates this meal to the next stage, is to blitz the dal (and the garlic clove) in portions in a high-speed blender. Sample once more – it should be perfect.

Divide the dal between two bowls, cover with the roast squash and spiced nuts, sprinkle with the cilantro and enjoy warm with rice and/or flatbreads.