Recipe of the Month – Lentil Butternut Squash

Recipe Title : Lentil Butternut Squash

Nidhi Nahata

To make a Lentil and Butternut Squash bake at home, you need:

• 2 cups butternut squash, deseeded, peeled and cut into 3cm chunks.
• 1 pinch of asafoetida. 
• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric. 
• 1 tbsp garam masala. 
• 1 tbsp Kasturi Methi (dry roasted). 
• 1 cup lentils (Channa dal), soaked and cooked. 
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes. 
• 1 cup plant-based milk. 
• 250ml hot vegetable stock. 
• 1 lemon, halved. 
• Sea salt and black pepper. 
• 1 cup Cashew instant cheese. 
• 1 small cup handful of coriander roughly chopped. 
• 1 pinch of dried chilli flakes (optional).

Method:

• Step 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. 
• Step 2. Heat a pan over and add ground turmeric, asafoetida and chopped tomatoes to the pan and cook until the spices are fragrant. 
• Step 3. Add the cooked lentils and vegetable stock to the pan and cook for a while. Add the plant-based milk and the steamed butternut squash to the pan and mix well. 
• Step 4. Taste the curry and add salt and garam masala according to your preference. 
• Step 5. Dry roast the Kasturi methi untill fragrant and crush and add it. 
• Step 6. Transfer the curry mixture to a baking tray and drizzle it with instant cashew cheese. 
• Step 7. Bake the mixture in the oven for 20-25 minutes until it is golden brown. 
• Step 8. Garnish with chopped coriander and a pinch of dried chilli flakes (optional). Serve hot with lemon wedges on the side.You can have it with rice, and roti.

Tip: Instead of Squash you could also use Pumpkin.

About Author