INGREDIENTS
Koginut Squash & Coconut Milk Base
1 koginut squash (1 cup or 260g roasted squash)
Olive oil and kosher salt for roasting
1 can (13.5 oz or 400 g) full-fat coconut milk
Koginut Squash Coconut Dal
Olive oil or avocado oil for frying
2 medium shallots, finely minced (80g minced)
4 cloves garlic, finely minced (2 tsp minced)
1” piece of ginger, finely minced (1 tsp minced)
1 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp each curry powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, cayenne pepper, and paprika
1/8 tsp black pepper (or a small pinch)
1 1/2 cups (300g) red lentils, soaked overnight
Kosher salt
Other Ingredients
Lemon juice to taste
Minced cilantro for garnish
DIRECTIONS
Roast the koginut squash. Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and place face down on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes at 450°F or until the squash is fork-tender. Let the squash cool, then scoop out the flesh – save any leftover squash in a container in the fridge. Scoop the flesh into a blender (you’ll need 1 cup or 250g total of squash) along with the canned coconut milk. Blend until smooth and set aside.
While the squash roasts, prep the lentils, aromatics, and spices. Rinse the soaked lentils until the water runs clear, then drain and set aside. Finely mince the shallots, and add to a deep pan (for reference, I used our Le Creuset 3.5 QT braiser), along with the grated garlic, ginger, and a generous amount of olive oil.
Make the dal. Sauté over medium heat until the shallots are translucent and the garlic is fragrant. Sprinkle in the spices and fry for 30 seconds until fragrant – note that powdered spices burn quickly, so don’t fry them any longer than 30 seconds or they will taste bitter. Finally, in the lentils, squash-coconut milk mixture, and a generous amount of kosher salt (~1 1/2 tsp). Mix to combine, turn the heat to low, and cover the pot.
Simmer & serve. Let the lentils simmer on medium-low for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils have broken down (they’ll have a similar texture to oatmeal). Remove from the heat, squeeze over some lemon juice, and sprinkle over the minced cilantro. Serve with toasted, heavily buttered sourdough bread, naan, or white rice.
