To start, first, prepare your mise en place. For the tomatoes, set a strainer over a bowl. Break open each whole tomato and remove the seeds, allowing the juice to collect in the bowl below. Place the de-seeded tomatoes into a separate bowl and roughly chop with kitchen scissors. Measure out the 2 cups of the strained tomato juice. Set aside.

Next, gather the stock, red lentils, cumin, and oil and set aside.

To make the soup, heat a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat and add the oil, followed by the onions, garlic, and chilies. Note: If desired, omit the oil and dry-sauté the onions, garlic, and chilies with a bit of vegetable stock or water.

Sweat until the onions are translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the cumin and curry leaves and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute or so.

Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato juice, stock, salt and season with pepper to taste and bring to a simmer.

Once simmering, add the lentils and continue to simmer for approximately about 20 to 40 minutes or until the lentils are fully cooked through. Ultimately, the time it takes will depend on the age of the lentils, how thick the soup is, and how high the heat will alter the cooking time.

Once the lentils are cooked through, season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.

For a thicker texture, you may want to partially blend the soup with an immersion blender.

Serve the soup in warmed bowls and garnish with chopped cilantro, freshly squeezed lemon, and chili flakes.