Oven Baked Squash & Coconut Curry With Cardamom Rice

Before you begin...

This recipe takes around 5-10 min to prep, so get your casserole dish and all your ingredients ready, then wash your fruit and veg

Note: Make sure your dish is oven-proof and safe to use on the hob. Don't have one? Start cooking in a large, wide-based pan then transfer to an oven-proof dish and cover tightly with foil

Now, let's get started!

Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ gas 7 and boil a kettle

Heat a large, wide-based, hob-safe oven-proof casserole dish with a matching lid with a drizzle of vegetable oil over a medium-high heat

Peel and chop your brown onion[s] into thin wedges

Once hot, add the onion wedges to the dish and cook for 2-3 min

Chop your creamed coconut roughly, if required

Dissolve the chopped creamed coconut and your vegetable stock mix in 500ml [650ml] [850ml] boiled water – this is your coconut stock

Cut your lime[s] into 2 wedges per person

Drain and rinse your green lentils and red lentils together under cold running water

Add the rinsed lentils to the dish with your butternut squash cubes, curry powder, ground turmeric and ginger & garlic paste

Add the coconut stock and and give everything a good mix up

Bring to the boil over a high heat, cover with a lid, then put the dish in the oven for 30-35 min or until the squash and lentils are tender

Crush your cardamom pods open by squashing them with the side of a knife

Add your white long grain rice to an oven-proof dish with the crushed cardamom pods and 300ml [390ml] [600ml] boiled water

Cover tightly with tin foil and put the dish in the oven for 30 min or until all the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked – this is your cardamom rice

Use this time to clear up, set the table, have a cup of tea or simply chill!

Once the squash and lentils are tender, remove the dish from the oven

Add the juice of half the lime wedges (not sure about citrus? try using less!), half your cultured coconut and a very generous pinch of salt

Stir it all together and leave to stand for 5 min before serving (this helps the flavours develop) – this is your oven baked butternut, coconut & lime dal