Put the lentils on to cook in water and let them cook until the water has almost boiled away, then top up with fresh water.
Roast the head of garlic whole (in the oven or in a dry pan), rinse off the burnt skin and add it to the lentils.
In a pan, sauté the chopped onion in olive oil with the dried red pepper.
Take out the pepper, crush it in a mortar with the cumin, and add this mixture to the lentils together with the onion.
For the dumplings, mix the beaten egg with the breadcrumbs, salt, crushed garlic, saffron and chopped parsley. Shape small dumplings and fry them in olive oil.
Add the dumplings to the lentils and simmer together for a few more minutes. Season and serve hot.