Easy peasy pumpkin daal

After spending months in India and Sri Lanka, daal became a favourite comfort for me and this has remained! 

You can make a big batch of it, freeze portions, take for lunch, add to other things, stir through a handle of spinach, have it with eggs, salad, other curries and it's delish on its own!

Inspired by Jamie Oliver's recipe from his Superfood cookbook. 

Ingredients

• 500g split red lentils
• 8 cloves of garlic
• 2 fresh red chillies
• olive oil
• 3 teaspoons black mustard seeds
• 1 heaped teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 onions
• 1 x 5cm piece of ginger
• 1 bunch of fresh coriander
• ½ a butternut squash (about 500g)
• 1.5 litres of boiling water or stock (veggie or chicken)

Preparation

First a tip: if you can (if you remember) it's best to rinse and then soak the lentils for a few hours or overnight, before cooking. This makes them easier to digest (also a plus) and speeds up the cooking process.

1. Thinly slice garlic and chilliies
2. Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into a large wide pan on a medium heat and add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds for 1 minute, then add the garlic and chillies, stirring regularly until golden.
3. Peel the onions and ginger and finely chop with the coriander stalks, then chop the squash into 2cm cubes, leaving the skin on but discarding any seeds. Stir it all into the pan and soften on a medium heat for 15 minutes.
4. Stir in the lentils, then add 1.5 litres of boiling water (or stock). Bring to the boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cover for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Mash the squash into the daal, taste and season how you wish.
6. Top with fresh coriander leaves and your choice of salad if you wish.