Mjeddrah - Lebanese Lentil Rice

I made this a while back, but never got around to posting it. But a friend's request has got me digging into my backed up pictures. Good thing I take pictures of pretty much everything I make!
My first time eating mjeddrah was at Layali Beirut in Astoria. Delicious rice, great kebabs and really good hookahs. Here's my version of the rice:

Lebanese Lentil Rice

1 cup lentils
1 cup rice
3 onions, sliced
salt, cumin, chili powder

Start with caramelizing your onions in a generous amount of olive oil. This is a slow process, make sure its on low heat. Add a dash of salt to bring out the moisture. Keep sauteing till it reaches a dark golden color.
Wash the lentils. Remove any floaters. Add enough water to cover the lentils and boil. Cook the lentils half-way till they are al dente.
Reserve half of the caramelized onions.
To the remaining half onions add the rice and saute.
Add the half cooked lentils, salt, cumin & chili powder and stir to evenly mix.
Add 3 cups of water and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to low and cover.
Cook till rice and lentils are cooked through - add more water if necessary.
Serve with the reserved onions.

I made a quick zucchini side dish to go with the rice -
zucchini + can of tomatoes + salt, cumin, chili flakes, garlic. Saute all. Serve.

Bon Appetit.