Leena Kohli: From reluctant home cook to a renowned recipe creator

Leena spent her childhood days in the bustling city of Lucknow, where she lived with her grandmother. Growing up in a large joint family, delicious foods were routine, but cooking was a no-go zone for young Leena. This wasn’t an issue for her. “I hated cooking; eating was more my thing,” she exclaimed with a laugh.

However, in class 10th, she went to her parents' house during the summer holidays. Her mother got sick and asked her to cook some curry. Disaster struck. The curry turned out to be horrible. She threw it out and said to her mother, “Don’t ever let me cook again .”

Years later, when Leena got married and in a new home, she found herself at a crossroads. Her in-law's house had no lady in the house, only working men. And so the question arose: who will cook? Despite her dislike of cooking, she stepped in.

“I remember it still, and it always makes me laugh. On the first day, we have a ritual in India where the bride cooks in her in-laws' house. So I made curry and some rotis and hid in the washroom. I didn't come out—until my husband came and said, "No, Leena, come out. Everything is okay. It was delicious, it's finished, there's none left for you."

That small moment gave her the confidence to cook, and she never looked back.

For years, Leena cooked for her family, and to her luck, her children were foodies, too, just like Little Leena was once. Their innocent demands became an opportunity to expand her style and try new recipes. Soon, cooking became a joy rather than a chore until one day, when her children encouraged her to share her recipes online.

“I wasn’t tech-savvy, and the idea of putting myself out there scared me,” Leena confessed.

Fortunately, her children and husband were persistent, and with their support, Leena dived into the world of recipe creation with her first recipe, Tamarind Candy.

Encouraged by her family’s love for food, Leena Kohli overcame her fears, and started her journey as a recipe creator.

“People say you should start with something sweet, but I started with sour, and still, everything is good. I changed that mindset that all good things start with something sweet. Sometimes, the beginning of something great is marked by sour tamarind candy.”

As she engrossed herself in her newfound passion, Leena learned her process was versatile and intuitive. “Sometimes, when I go to the market and find fresh or hard-to-find ingredients, I get them and try to use them. Other times, whenever I try something new at a restaurant or a friend’s house and like it, I get home and start researching, trying to cook it myself.”

But creating recipes is different from cooking. “I test the recipe first. Sometimes, I get it right on the first try; other times, it takes several attempts before I arrive at a perfect recipe. Before publishing it on Chefadora, I check out the recipe and the outcome small changes bring. I check what’s missing, what’s overdone, and how I can improve it. You must be confident about your recipe before posting it on social media. A lot of research goes into it.”

Leena enjoys adapting traditional recipes for modern audiences. “In traditional dishes, people use oil, ghee (clarified butter), and butter. Today, people have become more health conscious and avoid things like ghee and sugar. So, I keep that in mind and replace some ingredients with healthier alternatives. So, yes, that’s a challenge. But then again, there are some recipes where the ghee is irreplaceable, so I can’t help it.”

Leena has preserved her mom’s recipes, initially her grandmom’s. She occasionally tries those recipes and improves upon them before publishing them.

Creating recipes for social media came with some challenges. Cooking became the easy part, and soon, documenting became challenging. Ensuring the writing is easily understandable and the ingredients are listed accurately became a tedious part of the task.

This was until she joined Chefadora. “Ever since Recipe Genie arrived, it has made my life way easier. Writing recipes became easier, and I could go back to focus on the art of creating recipes.”

Leena Kohli reflects on her inspiring journey, urging aspiring recipe creators to stay true to their style, keep recipes simple, and embrace learning as they follow their passion.

Leena feels utter gratitude for everything that encouraged her to take this path.

“It's been a life-changing experience. I love it. It's my passion,"

Leena is presently in Australia and spends most of her time creating new recipes. She plans on cooking a strawberry cake this Christmas, for which she is currently perfecting the recipe. We asked her if she had any advice for aspiring recipe creators,

“I would say stick to your style. Stick to your distinct ideas, whatever you're doing. At the same time, be open to learning other things. The second thing for new writers is to make their recipes simple, understandable and step-wise. In other words, make it simple enough that a novice person, such as a child, can also understand and follow what you have written. It should not be complicated. Just make it simple for all to understand.”

Leena Kohli’s journey from a reluctant home cook to a celebrated recipe creator is one of perseverance and commitment. Today, she has more than 100 recipes online and has inspired thousands to explore cooking, the very thing she once feared. She lived the saying, “Don’t let fear be a master of you; rather, be a master of your fear.”

Want to try out Leena Kohli's recipes? Click here for her recipes. Check out Leena’s Instagram account for more updates. Want to watch her delicious cooking videos? Click here .

Updated on 24 Jul 2025