🔗 Share this article

It might come as a surprise to some readers, but I do not particularly enjoy of dal. Only a couple of versions that I liked, and each were made by my mother: one with lime and coconut, the other a slow-cooked black dal with rich cream. But now a third quick-cook dal has made it into my favorites list. And the key? Blitzing it until perfectly creamy, then topping with baked pumpkin and moreish spiced nuts. It’s a revelation that’s now on my weekly rotation.

Lime Dal with Roast Squash and Chilli Cashews

Prep 15 min
Cook 30 min
Serves two

600 grams butternut squash flesh, cut into 1cm cubes
1 tablespoon light-tasting oil
Flaky sea salt
One tsp ground cilantro
One tsp ground cumin
150g red lentils, thoroughly washed
One garlic clove, peeled
Half tsp turmeric
Juice of 1-2 limes, as preferred
One tsp butter
Chopped fresh coriander, for garnish

For the Spiced Nuts

60 grams cashews
One tsp light oil, or olive oil
¼ tsp red pepper flakes

Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan)/425°F/gas 7. Tip the cubed squash, oil, a tsp of sea salt, and the coriander powder and cumin spice into a baking tray big enough to hold all the vegetables in a single layer, and toss thoroughly to cover. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until tender and starting to catch at the edges.

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

Combine the nuts, oil, chilli flakes and a generous pinch of sea salt in a small baking tray. When the squash has eight minutes left, place the nut tray in the same oven; by the time the squash is ready, the cashews ought to be nicely toasted.

Stir the lentils and flavor with citrus juice and sea salt to taste. You will need quite a lot of each: think of the dal as a completely blank canvas (I added the juice of two limes and I hate to admit how much seasoning!). Continue tweaking and tasting until you’re happy with the seasoning, then stir in the butter.

My final step, which takes this dish to the next level, is to blitz the dal (and the garlic) in batches in a powerful blender. Taste again – it should be just right.

Portion the lentils between two bowls, cover with the roast squash and spiced nuts, sprinkle with the cilantro and serve hot with steamed rice and/or flatbreads.