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Spicy Lentil Dahl

I used to use the recipe in Sundays at Moosewood, but my stomach
always seemed to react badly to it, eventually. I found this recipe
last year and for some reason, my stomach has no problem with this
version.
Spicy Lentil Dahl
By Ashley Adams, About.com Guide

Serves 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
• 1 T. sesame oil or, alternatively, olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped white onion
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 T. finely chopped fresh ginger
• 4 cups water or vegetable broth
• 1 cup dried red lentils, rinsed and picked over
• 1 t. cumin
• 1 t. coriander
• 1 t. tumeric
• ¼ t. cardamom
• ¼ t. cinnamon
• ¼ t. cayenne pepper
• 1 t. salt, or to taste
• 2 T. tomato paste
Preparation:
1. In a 3-quart stockpot or other medium-sized soup pot, heat the
sesame oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic
and ginger. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent,
about 6 minutes.
2. Stirring constantly, add the water or broth, lentils, spices and
salt. Bring to a low boil, then turn down the heat to low, cover and
let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes, or until lentils are very
tender.
3. Stir in the tomato paste until well combined. Cook several minutes
more, or until the soup is desired temperature and consistency, adding
more water to the dahl if needed.

To the above, I added the juice of one lemon at the end, to brighten
the flavor. Also added some garam marsala in the spice mix.

I cook two cups of basmati rice at the same time (1 cup rice, two cups
water) and mix it in with the dahl.