Priyanka Chopra (43) Admits She Can’t Cook—But Her Go-To Dish Is Surprisingly Relatable
Priyanka Chopra Jonas has conquered Bollywood, Hollywood, a Miss World crown, and a global media empire. But the kitchen? That’s a slightly different story.
The actress has been refreshingly honest about her cooking abilities over the years, and the picture that emerges is both funny and surprisingly relatable. Between a private chef, a mother who still outshines everyone, and a husband still mastering Indian food, there is a lot going on at dinnertime in the Chopra Jonas household.
She’ll Be the First to Admit It
Priyanka has never pretended to be a culinary powerhouse. During a pasta cooking class she and Nick Jonas attended in Italy, she was caught on camera saying she can’t really cook, but that having a chef guide her makes her feel like she can. She also joked that it was good to have Nick there to witness that she at least tried.
It’s the kind of self-awareness that makes her even more likeable. Not every global superstar is willing to admit their kitchen limitations on camera.
But She Does Have One Signature Recipe
That said, Priyanka is not entirely helpless when hunger strikes at midnight. Her go-to is what she calls her refrigerator scrambled eggs, a recipe she shared in a friend’s cookbook. The idea is simple: pull out eggs, cheese, milk, and whatever leftover meats you can find, then whisk it all together with fresh garlic and sliced green chillies.
The result, she insists, works equally well as a breakfast or a late-night snack. It’s the kind of recipe built for someone who loves food deeply but isn’t necessarily reaching for a cast-iron pan every evening.
The Food She Misses Most
When it comes to what she actually craves, the answer is always the same: home. In an interview with IMDb, Priyanka said her favorite Indian food is homemade, specifically roti, dal, and the everyday staples she grew up eating. She admits she misses them tremendously while living abroad.
She’s also a devoted fan of stuffed parathas, opting for either a paneer-filled or potato-filled version. Idli, dosa, and poha round out the comfort food list she consistently comes back to.
Mom Is Still the Best Cook in the Room
The truest testament to where the real cooking magic lives in Priyanka’s world came when she posted a photo on Instagram returning home from a long shoot to find her mother, Dr. Madhu Chopra, had made palak paneer and naan. The caption basically said it all: coming home to mom after a long day’s shoot, with a heart-eyes emoji.
Dr. Madhu Chopra is also known for making Priyanka’s all-time favorite Gumm Paratha, a stuffed paratha she has loved since childhood. The recipe is so cherished that Priyanka’s private chef in Los Angeles reportedly learned to make dosa directly from her mother.
The Private Chef and the Husband Who Tries
In their LA home, the day-to-day cooking falls largely to private chef Sami Udell, founder of the catering company Wholesam. Udell’s signature creation for Priyanka is the “Fuego Egg Bowl,” which has become one of her most-talked-about favorite meals and inspired a full Delish feature.
As for Nick Jonas, Priyanka has cheerfully pointed out that he has not yet learned to cook Indian food. His favorite Indian dish, for the record, is any kind of paneer. Given that her private chef learned dosa from her mother, maybe Nick’s Indian cooking lessons aren’t too far away either.
