This is what I like to call a ‘weekend dish’ – I’m not getting home from the office and making it on a weeknight but it’s such a treat to do something like this when I have a little extra time. And this particular recipe is a different use of squash than your usual soups and pumpkin pies, and it’s season right now…
INGREDIENTS
Aromatics and flavour:
Ginger
Garlic
Shallot
Chilli pepper
Mustard seeds
Chilli flakes
Cumin
Turmeric
Vegetable stock
Vegetables:
Squash (I used Crown Prince)
Spinach
Baby tomatoes
Toppings:
Fresh coriander
Lime juice
Yoghurt (I used Greek, plant-based yoghurt can also be used)
Toasted coconut flakes
Everything else:
Coconut milk (I used light)
Red lentils
Accompaniments:
Flatbread or rice (I made these)
TIPS & NOTES
You don’t have to but I personally prefer to rinse my lentils, soak them for at least a couple of hours and rinse them again before using them in a dish like this. It just helps reduce some of those bloating compounds some of us struggle with. Even just soaking them whilst the squash roasts can help. If you don’t have time or lentils don’t bother you at all, just make sure you give them a good rinse first. Nutritionally, alongside one of my Yoghurt flatbreads, this delivers over 20g of fibre and 30g of protein!
I’ve used a Crown Prince squash and cut half of it into slices as a topping and roasted half of it whole to scoop out the pulp and blend it with the the coconut milk. You can use another type of squash and if you prefer; you can peel the half used as a topping and just cut it into cubes.
Squash & Coconut Red Dal
A combination of coconut, squash and South Asian flavours
Ingredients
- 200g of split red lentils
- Approx. 1kg of squash (de-seeded weight) (cut in half, remove seeds, cut one half into slices / chunks and pierce the other half around a dozen times on both sides)
- 150g of baby tomatoes
- 1 tsp of mustard seeds
- 1 shallot (finely chopped)
- 1 mild chilli pepper (finely chopped, optional: de-seed)
- 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped, minced or grated)
- c. 5cm piece of ginger (scrape off the bark and grate or finely chop)
- 1 tsp of cumin
- 1 tsp of turmeric
- 1/2 a tsp of chilli flakes
- Vegetable stock cube
- 400g can of coconut milk
- A handful of coriander (large stems removed, leaves chopped)
- Juice of 1/2 a lime
- 50g of yoghurt
- 10g of toasted coconut flakes
- Neutral cooking oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Toss the squash slices in salt, pepper and a little oil and spread out on a baking tray
- Take the other half of the squash and place it on a baking tray, inside up, and drizzle with a little oil and add salt and pepper
- Roast the squash in the oven for 25-30 mins until it’s completely soft and cooked through – leave the intact half of squash to cool for a few mins (the slices can be left to stay warm in the oven once it has cooled down somewhat)
- Meanwhile, in a wide-based lidded pan, over a medium heat add a drizzle of oil and allow it to warm up before adding the spices and allowing them to bloom in the oil for 30 seconds before adding the onion, garlic, chilli and ginger with some salt and pepper – sauté for a further 5 mins
- Add the stock cube to a blender with the coconut milk and scoop out the flesh of the intact half of the squash and blend until smooth
- Pour the coconut milk sauce back into the pan and add the tomatoes and lentils – cover to cook for around 20 mins (stirring occasionally) until you have a creamy dal with the red lentils cooked through (if you haven’t soaked them, this may take longer – follow the pack instructions)
- Whilst the dal cooks, mix together the yoghurt and lime juice with some salt and pepper – use a little water to thin it out into a dressing texture
- Add the spinach to the dal, cover and cook for a further 3-5 mins until it wilts and stir everything together
- Serve the dal topped with the squash slices, drizzle on the yoghurt sauce and sprinkle over the coriander and coconut flakes
1. Preheat the oven to 180C
Let me know if you try this dal!
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