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It might come as a surprise to many cooks, but I am not a fan of dal. There were just two versions that I liked, and each were made by my mother: one with lime and coconut, the other a long-simmered black lentils with cream. But now a third fast-cooking dal has made it into my hall of fame. And the key? Blitzing it until very smooth, then topping with baked pumpkin and moreish chilli cashews. It’s a game-changer that’s now on my weekly rotation.

Citrus Lentils with Baked Pumpkin and Spicy Nuts

Prep 15 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Serves two

600g pumpkin cubes, diced into 1cm cubes
One tbsp light-tasting oil
Flaky sea salt
One teaspoon freshly ground coriander
One teaspoon cumin powder
150 grams red lentils, thoroughly washed
1 clove of garlic, skin removed
½ tsp turmeric
Juice of 1-2 limes, to taste
1 teaspoon dairy butter
Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

For the Spiced Nuts

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

Preheat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425°F/mark 7. Place the diced pumpkin, cooking oil, a teaspoon of sea salt, and the ground coriander and cumin spice into a baking tray big enough to hold all the veg in one layer, and toss thoroughly to coat. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until tender and starting to catch at the edges.

At the same time, place the lentils in a big pot with 500ml just-boiled water, the garlic clove and the turmeric, and bring to a boil. Cover partly, lower the heat and cook gently, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes, until the lentils have softened.

Combine the nuts, cooking oil, chilli and a big pinch of salt in a small baking tray. When the pumpkin has 8 minutes left, pop the cashew tray in the same oven; by the time the pumpkin is done, the cashews ought to be nicely toasted.

Stir the lentils and flavor with citrus juice and salt to taste. You will need quite a lot of each: think of the dal as a completely blank canvas (I added the juice from two limes and I’m embarrassed to say how much salt!). Continue tweaking and sampling until you’re happy with the seasoning, then add the butter.

The last touch, which elevates this meal to the next level, is to puree the lentils (and the garlic clove) in batches in a powerful blender. Taste again – it should be perfect.

Portion the lentils between two bowls, cover with the roast squash and chilli cashews, scatter over the coriander and serve hot with steamed rice and/or flatbreads.