Madhur Jaffrey's Vegetarian India has a number of regional dal preparations, which I am slowly working through (as I am with all of her other great recipes!). I was immediately drawn to her Simple Moong and Masoor Dal Cooked in the Style of Uttar Pradesh Muslims because it evoked a wonderful UP meal a friend's mother prepared for us recently.
To prepare the Madhur Jaffrey dal, I halved the recipe and used the Instant Pot to cook the dal via 10 minutes of pressure coupled with a natural release. My sense is that I used low pressure v. high pressure because that's what I usually do with dal, but I didn't take notes to confirm!
I then prepared the tadka on the stovetop and added it to the salted, cooked dal.
The result was lightly spiced from the cumin, garlic, and shallot. This is a simple side dal that is perfect when I don't have tomatoes or other dal flavorings at home.
Would I make it for a dinner party to wow guests? No. But for a simple, protein-rich side for home meals, it's a good addition.
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