Similar to Madhur Jaffrey's Instant Pot Mung Dal with Spinach, I learned a lot about the Instant Pot itself when I made her Quinoa Upma or Quinoa with Tomatoes recipe. I had never used the "rice" setting before, nor had I cooked quinoa in the Instant Pot before.
Both turned out really well, so those are lessons that I will carry into the future (along with the 1.5 water to quinoa ratio for the Instant Pot rice setting).
However, the final dish itself felt like it had some elements missing – similar to the Steel Cut Oats Upma I made a few years ago. In both, I didn't include curry leaves, which may have been the key omission, and Jaffrey's recipe also called for the inclusion of mint as well, which I didn't have on hand.
The recipe could have also benefited from more salt and a more thorough washing of the quinoa. I definitely did not wash the quinoa sufficiently to remove the bitterness from the grains.
In short, this recipe is good for a decent breakfast or brunch side with a slight spiced tomato flavor coming through and the grains cooked perfectly, but it lacks the depth of flavors to really carry a meal on its own. I'll report back if I find the modifications that can make this dish the star it should be!
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