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Lentils and rice under a mountain of deeply fried onions, the everyday Levantine dish built from almost nothing. The onions have to go past golden into dark brown, and that is the whole flavour.
Rinse the 250 g brown lentils and simmer them in plenty of unsalted water with the bay leaf for 15 to 18 minutes, until they bend but still have a firm centre. Drain and keep 600 ml of the cooking liquid. Salting them now would keep the skins tough.
Slice the 4 onions thinly and fry them in the 150 ml oil in a wide pan over medium heat for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring often. Take them well past golden to a deep chestnut brown, then lift two thirds onto paper towel to crisp.
Leave the rest of the onions with 3 tablespoons of the oil in the pan, add the cumin, the ground coriander and the allspice and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
Rinse the 1 cup basmati until the water runs clear, stir it into the pan with the drained lentils, the salt and the 600 ml reserved cooking liquid. Bring to a boil, then cover and cook on the lowest heat for 15 minutes.
Take the pan off the heat and leave it covered for 10 minutes without lifting the lid, then fold everything through with a fork so the grains stay separate.
Pile the crisp fried onions over the top with the chopped parsley, and serve with the yogurt and lemon wedges on the side.
