Mujadara Hamra (Black Lentils & Extra-Coarse Bulgur)
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Southern Lebanese lentil-and-bulgur pilaf.
The deeply caramelized onions are the whole dish --
they carry the flavor and the signature red-brown color.
Synthesized from eight traditional recipes
and tuned for black lentils and #4 bulgur.
Quantities in grams, with original volume in parentheses.

Ingredients
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* Black (beluga) lentils, 270 grams (1.5 cups)
* Extra-coarse (#4) bulgur, 150 grams (1 cup)
* Yellow onions, finely chopped, 800 grams (~4 large)
* Extra virgin olive oil, 72 grams (1/3 cup)
* Ground cumin, 3 grams (1.5 tsp)
* Fine salt, 7 grams (1.25 tsp)
* Black pepper, 1 gram (0.5 tsp)
* Water, 950 grams (4 cups)

Method
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* Parcook the lentils:
  Rinse the lentils and pick through for any small stones.
  Add to a saucepan with all of the water (950 g / 4 cups --
  the same water from the ingredient list;
  it's a boil-and-drain, so the excess is intentional and gets reserved).
  Bring to a rolling boil,
  then drop to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 12-15 min,
  until just shy of tender --
  pull them while still firm,
  since beluga fully cook in 20-25 min
  and they'll get about 30-35 more min of cooking later with the bulgur.
  Drain, but keep all of the cooking liquid
  (you'll use 530 ml of it in the next steps).
* Deeply caramelize the onions:
  Heat the olive oil (72 g / 1/3 cup)
  in a wide, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat.
  Add the onions (800 g / ~4 large, finely chopped)
  and cook, stirring often,
  until very deeply browned --
  well past golden, into a dark mahogany,
  with some edges almost-but-not-burnt.
  This is where all the flavor and color come from,
  so don't rush it (30-40 min).
  If you want a topping,
  scoop out about 2 tbsp of the crispiest bits and set aside.
* Combine and season:
  Stir the drained lentils into the onions
  along with the cumin (3 g / 1.5 tsp),
  salt (7 g / 1.25 tsp),
  and pepper (1 g / 0.5 tsp).
  Pour in 530 ml (2¼ cups) of the reserved lentil liquid
  (top up with plain water if you came up short).
  Bring to a boil.
* Cook the bulgur:
  Stir in the bulgur (150 g / 1 cup).
  Reduce heat to low, cover tightly,
  and simmer about 20-25 min,
  keeping the heat genuinely low and the lid tight
  so the grains hydrate instead of boiling off,
  until the liquid is absorbed and the bulgur is tender.
  The black lentils hold their shape so well
  that the extra time won't hurt them at all.
  Resist adding more water -- the steam step finishes it.
* Rest and steam:
  Turn off the heat and leave the pot covered, off the burner, for 10 min.
  Any remaining moisture gets absorbed
  and the extra-coarse grains fully hydrate and set.
* Fluff and serve:
  Fluff gently with a fork to separate the grains,
  scatter the reserved crispy onions over the top,
  and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.
  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes
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Salt assumes fine sea/table salt;
if you use coarse kosher salt,
the same 7 g is correct by weight
but will look like more by volume.

Serve with something cool and fresh alongside:
plain yogurt or labneh, a cucumber-tomato salad,
fattoush, or pickled turnips/radishes.

It keeps 4-5 days in the fridge
and the flavor actually improves overnight;
reheat with a splash of water.

If your onions start to scorch before they darken,
drop the heat and add a pinch of salt to pull out moisture.
The onions verging on almost-burnt is correct --
fully burnt turns it bitter,
so pull back if they go black rather than deep brown.

Parenthetical volume amounts reflect the base 5-serving batch;
if you scale servings, follow the gram figures.