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1
Combine the rinsed red lentils, chopped onion, garlic, cumin, and turmeric in a large pot with the water or light broth and bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook until the lentils have dissolved completely into a uniform, thick soup — no discrete lentil remains visible — rinsing the lentils beforehand so that excess surface starch does not turn the broth cloudy and gluey before the lentils have had time to cook through.
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2
While the lentils cook, heat the olive oil in a separate pan over medium heat and add the thinly sliced onions, cooking slowly and stirring at intervals until they are a deep, even gold throughout — caramelised but not burnt — because this is where the dish lives or dies: undercooked onions will be sharp and raw against the soup, while burnt onions will pull the whole pot bitter. The onions are ready when they smell sweet and nutty and have reduced to a soft, deeply coloured mass.
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3
Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the caramelised onions, folding them through so their sweetness and colour distribute evenly rather than sitting in pockets. The soup should arrive at a vivid golden-orange — this colour is the mark of a correctly made shorbat adas.
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4
Add the lemon juice only at the moment of service, directly into the bowls or into the pot off the heat, so the acid does not cook into the soup and dull both its colour and its clean, lifted flavour. Once dressed, the soup should smell bright and sharp cutting across the deep cumin base.
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5
Serve immediately with good bread. The bread is not an accompaniment but an equal part of the meal — it is there for soaking, and the soup is the meal entire.