Cook the rice separately: Soak the rice for about an hour. Then put apot of water on heat to bring it to a boil. Pour the rice into the pot and wait for about 5 to 10 minutes for it to get half cooked (Al dente). Then pour therice into a colander. Pour about 3 tablespoons of oil into the pot and pour the rice in. Then put the lid on and let the rice cook for about 30 to 60 minutes on low heat.
Put the red lentils on the heat: Clean the red lentils and wash them with water. Then put them on heat with some water. The water should be about twice the volume of the red lentils and rise above the lentils. I poured 4 cups of water. If some foam took place on the surface, collect them with a spoon.
Add potato and dried lime: Cut the skin off the potato and then cut it in half. Put it in the pot to let it cook with the lentils. Add the dried lime too. If your pot is small, don’t put on the lid, because red lentils will boil over and pour out fast.
Prepare the other ingredients in another bowl: Chop the onion in small pieces and fry with a little oil. After the onions got golden, add garlic (chopped, mashed or grated). There’s no need for the garlic to get completely fried. Add turmeric and pepper. Add the tomato paste too and fry a little and then turn off the heat.
Add the mixture of tomato paste, onion and garlic to the lentils that are cooking.
Take out the potato and mash it: After about 30 minutes when the potato got cooked, take it out and mash it well with the back of a fork. Then put it back in the pot. Let them cook together to make the food thick and glazed.
Add salt.
Test the lentils: after about 30 to 60 minutes the red lentil stew is ready. Taste it, if lentils are cooked, turn off the heat.
Serve the Persian red lentils with rice.