Name: Red lentil dhal with roast pumpkin and curry-leaf brown butter
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 1 kg Kent pumpkin, skin on, cut into 2cm thick wedges; 1 garlic clove, crushed; 1 tsp garam masala; 1½ tbsp neutral-flavoured oil; 125 gm unsalted butter, chopped; ¼ cup roasted cashews, chopped; 1 tbsp finely grated ginger; 2 curry leaf sprigs, plus extra fried leaves to serve; ½ tsp each chilli flakes and nigella seeds; Coriander, to serve; Red Lentil Dhal; 300 gm spilt red lentils; 1 small Spanish onion, thinly sliced; 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced; 2 tbsp finely grated ginger; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 2 tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp each ground cumin and ground coriander; 1 cinnamon quill; 1 curry leaf sprig; 1 long green chilli, thinly sliced, plus extra to serve; 400 ml coconut milk, plus extra for drizzling; Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime

Tossed in garam masala and roasted to golden perfection, Kent pumpkin finds its place atop this rich red lentil dhal. Fennel and curry leaf add aromatic lift, while a final flourish of brown butter spiked with roasted cashews, ginger and nigella brings crunch and depth. Finish with a scatter of coriander, fried curry leaves and fresh green chilli to sharpen every bite.

Ingredients

1 kg Kent pumpkin, skin on, cut into 2cm thick wedges

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 tsp garam masala

1½ tbsp neutral-flavoured oil

125 gm unsalted butter, chopped

¼ cup roasted cashews, chopped

1 tbsp finely grated ginger

2 curry leaf sprigs, plus extra fried leaves to serve

½ tsp each chilli flakes and nigella seeds

Coriander, to serve

Red Lentil Dhal

300 gm spilt red lentils

1 small Spanish onion, thinly sliced

1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced

2 tbsp finely grated ginger

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp each ground cumin and ground coriander

1 cinnamon quill

1 curry leaf sprig

1 long green chilli, thinly sliced, plus extra to serve

400 ml coconut milk, plus extra for drizzling

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime

Method

Preheat oven to 220°C fan-forced. Place pumpkin, garlic, garam masala and oil in a large bowl, season to taste and toss to coat. Arrange pumpkin wedges on 2 large oven trays lined with baking paper. Roast until golden and lightly charred (25-30 minutes).

Meanwhile, for dhal, combine all ingredients and 600ml water in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until lentils are breaking down (20 minutes). Stir through lime zest and juice and season to taste.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add cashews, ginger, curry leaves and remaining spices; cook, stirring occasionally, until nut brown and fragrant (3-4 minutes). Remove from heat and season to taste.

Spoon dhal into shallow serving bowls. Arrange roast pumpkin on top; drizzle with extra coconut milk and spiced brown butter. Scatter with coriander, extra thinly sliced green chilli and fried curry leaves to serve.

We’ve gone with roast pumpkin wedges as the crowning glory atop this dhal. Other roast vegetables such as cauliflower, beetroot, carrot or sweet potato would work equally well.
Note

Maxwell Adey Senior Food Editor & Stylist

Maxwell has always been passionate about food. Born into a restaurateur and award-winning produce farming family, he was strongly steered into pursuing a career in advertising after completing his Bachelor of Public Communication at University of Technology, Sydney. After a very short stint, he decided to enrol in Commercial Cookery at TAFE to follow his true passion. Maxwell started out working in some of Sydney’s finest restaurants (Est., Claude’s and Moon Park) which helped further his love of all things culinary and developed his technical ability to cook. Later, he was lured into the magical world of food publishing where he freelanced for ten years for notable Australian commercial and editorial brands. He has also run his own business where he sells his marinated olives, dressings and sauces at food markets and select retailers. He excitingly joins the Gourmet Traveller team to bring his technical and creative expertise in food to the brand.

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