The Indian-Inspired Ingredients George Harrison Used For A Spicy Lentil Soup

George Harrison was a very busy man even after The Beatles broke up. Yet while working on his craft as a solo musician, composer, and artist, he often found time to whip up delicious meals for his family, especially after embracing the meat-free lifestyle. As a vegetarian and an avid cook, Harrison liked experimenting with flavors. One dish that he tweaked to his liking was lentil soup. The traditional recipe is savory, earthy, and mildly spiced. Harrison's version packed in more heat thanks to two Indian-inspired ingredients: cumin seeds and red chili.

A Tumblr post featuring an excerpt from the 1980 cookbook, "Mary Frampton and Friends Rock and Roll Recipes," revealed that the late musical artist developed a deep appreciation for Indian cuisine after traveling to the country. This became evident in how he would prepare Indian food in his kitchen. For his Dark Horse Lentil Soup, Harrison made sure that the flavors of the extra ingredients would take center stage by frying the red chili and cumin seeds in oil first before adding the aromatics. Once the onions turned brown, he mixed them with the lentils (don't skip this important step when prepping) and other ingredients. Simmering the soup on low heat for an hour — resist the urge to boil your soup for a quicker dinner — further blended the flavors of the Indian spices into every spoonful of the dish.

It's a well-known fact that George Harrison's go-to sandwich was a three-ingredient umami bomb, featuring cheese, lettuce, and Marmite as the filling for the bread. This alone proved that the singer had a proclivity for anything savory – one of the fundamental tastes in Indian cuisine. Cumin seeds and red chili not only balance out some of the hearty taste or starchiness of the lentils in soup, but they also intensify the heat and incorporate a smoky flavor. When recreating Harrison's recipe, though, you can opt for ground cumin if seeds are unavailable. No need to sauté in oil with the chili; simply sprinkle a dash into the soup to bring out its flavor.

Harrison started to dive deep into India and its culture in his '20s after seeing a sitar for the first time on the set of The Beatles' musical "Help!" Initially, he only explored the sounds of the country, but after committing to a vegetarian diet in 1965, his first wife, Pattie Boyd, introduced vegetarian dishes from India into their home menu.

Three years later, Harrison and his bandmates traveled to India to learn meditation. However, it's safe to assume that the trip also heightened Harrison's interest in and mastery of the local cuisine. Accounts of his dinner nights with his second wife, Olivia Harrison, indicate that the couple loved preparing Indian curries, soups, and veggie stir-fries. Their son, Dhani, also recalled the musician being proud of making chapatis from scratch. As such, his decision to incorporate Indian cuisine staple ingredients into his lentil soup recipe makes total sense.