Rinse the red lentils very well and add to a saucepan. Make sure to use a large sized saucepan or the contents can boil over creating a liquid mess, while you cook them!
Add salt and 3 cups of water, mix well with the dal and bring the mixture to a quick boil.
As soon as the mixture starts boiling, add the olive oil and lemon juice, stir well.
Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan with lid and if you want al dente lentils, you can cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, then carefully open the pan and see if it's cooked.
By 3 minutes itself, the lentils may turn soft so make sure to check at 2 minutes mark.Lentils should be completely cooked before you eat them since they have some toxicity in it's raw form. So make sure you have completely cooked them even if you do not want them very soft.Also, if you plan to use them regularly, it is a good idea to cook them until very soft and make soup which is more healthier! Once the lentils is cooked to your preference, stop the cooking and discard any remaining liquid or you may use the leftover liquid (if there is any) in making any soup or curry.
You can use a large slotted spoon or spatula to easily separate the lentils from the water and transfer the cooked lentils to a serving dish.
Season with black pepper, garlic and onion powders or any spices of your choice, or use in any recipes you want.
If you want the cooked lentils to be used in recipes like soup, reduce the heat to low, cover with lid and cook for about 12 to 15 minutes until completely cooked & tender or until very soft in texture.
If the saucepan is not large enough, the liquids from the pan may boil over and overflow causing a liquid mess, so it is a good idea to watch the pan.
In case it boil over, you may open the pan carefully, give a good stir and simmer the contents while keeping the pan open.
This may take longer to cook, and you may need to add extra water in case the water evaporates before the lentils are completely cooked.