True Moroccan Lentil Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 cups chopped onions
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups water
1 cup small brown lentils or 1 cup green lentil, small
1 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight
1 cup small white beans, soaked overnight
4 tomatoes, peeled and diced
1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
2 teaspoons fresh medium grind black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon vegetable oil or 1 tablespoon mild extra virgin olive oil

Preparation

In a large soup pot, stew pot or dutch oven cook the chick peas and white beans seperately until just tender.
Using a smaller pot, cook the lentils for 20 minutes and drain the beans and lentils.
In the same pot, saute the onions, garlic*, ginger, paprika and cumin approximately 5 minutes in the oil. I use the olive oil for this one as the Moroccan home cooks who I know will allow this cooking of olive oil rarely and for this recipe.
Add the water, lentils, chick peas, white beans, tomatoes, carrots, pepper and cumin, black pepper and salt to taste. Our black pepper used in a teaspoon will impart some good spicy heat to the dish. Should your black pepper not do this then please add a bit more black pepper as we do not use cayenne here.
Bring to a boil for a 5 minutes and simmer 3/4 covered 1 to 1 1/2 hours or longer, until the beans and lentils are soft but not mushy.
I have seen mny similar recipes on the internet stating to puree some of the soup and return it to the pot. While this is a nice idea, most Moroccan homes do not have a blender and this soup is not intended to be made as such.
Prep. time does not include soaking and pre-cooking the beans.
* Omit the garlic if using for Ramadan.