Instructions: Put rice in a 2-quart saucepan. Add two cups hot tap water, one teaspoon salt and saffron (crushed between your fingers). Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Turn heat off and keep covered until ready to serve. (Or put rice, hot water, salt, and saffron in a two-quart microwave-safe container. Cover and put in a microwave oven on high power for 10 minutes. Keep covered until ready to serve.)

Put half the olive oil in a heavy bottom saucepan over medium heat. Peel and halve ginger. Peel garlic. With motor running, drop ginger and garlic down chute of a food processor. When chopped, stop motor. Peel and quarter onion and add to ginger and garlic. Pulse until chopped.

Add ginger, garlic, and onion to olive oil. Raise heat to high, stir, and cook for one minute. Add lentils, two cups chicken stock, cayenne, and salt to taste. Cover and bring to a boil. Uncover, reduce heat to a brisk simmer. Stir periodically and cook for 10 minutes or until lentils are just tender and liquid is absorbed. Add remaining chicken stock if necessary.

Put remaining oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Mix cumin with salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Rub both sides of each chop with spice mixture. Increase heat on skillet to medium-high and cook chops four minutes on each side for medium rare. Serve chops with lentils and rice.

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