400gfresh or frozen pumpkin chunksweight before roasting
2tablespoonolive oil
1sprinklesea salt
1brown onionfinely diced
4garlic clovescrushed or grated
2tablespoonmadras curry powder
1teaspoonground cinnamon
800mlfull-fat coconut milk
250gdried red lentils
a little water
extra curry powder to taste (see notes)
To serve:
fresh coriander
coconut yogurt
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and place your pumpkin chunks onto a lined baking tray. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and roast it in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until soft with browning edges. Transfer the soft pumpkin to a blender or food processor and blend until you've got a smooth pumpkin paste. If your blender struggles, add a little bit of water.
Heat the rest of the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan, add in the diced onion and sauté for 2 minutes before adding the crushed garlic.
Add in all of the spices: cinnamon, salt and Madras curry powder and allow for them to toast and become fragrant for 1-2 minutes, then add in the red lentils. Stir and cook in the hot pan for 2 minutes, then add the roasted pumpkin puree and coconut milk and reduce the heat to low. Gradually bring to a simmer whilst stirring regularly, allowing for the red lentils to soak up the liquid.
Simmer for about 10-15 minutes until the lentils have soaked up the majority of the liquid, your roasted pumpkin dhal should still be creamy at this point - optionally, add a little bit of water until you get the right thick, creamy consistency.
Serve the roasted pumpkin dhal with a spoonful of coconut yoghurt and fresh coriander.
Notes
If you don't have a fresh or frozen pumpkin to hand, you can also use tinned pumpkin - use 1 tin on this occasion and skip the roasting steps.
The spice and flavour of the dhal are mostly down to the type of curry powder you add to the dhal. On this occasion, I've used a Masala spice blend, which is quite spicey on its own, so I don't add too much of it. Feel free to adjust the amount you add based on the powder you use and your personal taste.