Inside Joyce Arora’s kitchen: The home cook behind Bollywood’s favourite dishes

Joyce has been cooking since she was 10. She has indulged everyone, from family and friends to colleagues — she worked in the marketing department of The Indian Express for over a decade. But she began cooking with greater intensity about a quarter of a century ago. “When Ammu (Amrita Arora) started modelling and acting, she had to travel a lot and didn’t want to do it alone, so I took a step back from work to accompany her,” she says. “I did that for a year, until we found the right team.” By then, her elder daughter Malaika Arora had her son, Arhaan, and Joyce found herself taking care of him. “We would spend a lot of time together. That’s why he loves South Indian food and eats his vegetables,” she laughs.

For us, Joyce digs into her Malayali roots. On the stove are a Kerala-style cauliflower thoran, palak chicken and jeera aloo. “Some time ago, the internet went crazy over cauliflower rice,” she says, amused. “Ammu put up a post saying we have been eating this all our lives — it’s called thoran.”

The palak chicken is her own creation, lush with green chillies and garam masala. “This was originally palak mutton but most of us gave up red meat.”

Between stories, Joyce moves in and out of the kitchen with ease. Vegetables are sauteed for the chicken gravy, then set aside to cool before being coarsely ground and cooked again, this time in a pressure cooker. The cauliflower thoran utilises even the stem of the vegetable, and comes together quickly. In another pan, oil simmers before salt and crushed jeera hit the heat, followed by pre-boiled, halved potatoes. “This dish needs just four ingredients,” she says, adding almost as an aside, “Actor Rahul Khanna took this recipe from me years ago. He still swears by it.” Her food is favourite among many Bollywood celebrities, courtesy her daughters. “Bebo loved my fish curry — a version made with kacha kairi and coconut. I sent it across for her once, and she even posted about it. Many now call it Kareena’s fish curry but it’s mine,” she jokes. The jeera aloo is a favourite with her grandchildren. “They always want an aloo dish on the table. Rayaan loves it when the potatoes turn golden,” she says. It’s impossible not to notice how much joy feeding her family, now spanning generations, brings her.

A platter of red rice, cauliflower thoran, jeera aloo and palak chicken cooked by Joyce Arora
(Photo by Sankhadeep Banerjee)

Known for her elaborate spreads, Joyce had already prepared three more dishes before our arrival: a thick brinjal curry with coconut and ground spices paired with matta rice (popularly known as Kerala red rice), sauteed green beans and bhindi with caramelised onions.
After the meal, we take a stroll around the house, washed in the afternoon light. Rendered in wood tones, muted neutrals and layered textures, it feels lived-in; a space where memory, faith, travel and aesthetics coexist comfortably. The dining area is anchored by a textured prayer wall, dense with icons, crosses and devotional art. Framed family photographs sit close by. Adding a burst of colour is a large painting by Salman Khan, created for one of Amrita’s birthdays. “All paintings in this house are by Salman Khan,” shared Joyce.

In the living room, beige sofas and armchairs in soft blue invite long conversations. It’s easy to imagine a bustling Christmas lunch here, gently giving way to evening tea. Joyce says the house is usually decked up by now but this year the decorations will come a little later. “I put up a six-foot tree and every year around 40 people — family, friends, and often friends of friends — come,” she says. There is no catering. Joyce cooks everything herself. “It takes me four days to procure, clean, pre-prep and prepare all the food. Most of the prep happens in advance but the actual cooking is done on Christmas day.” She gets up as early as 4 am.

But how does she cook when there’s no clarity on the number of guests? “I always cook in abundance. I can’t be caught napping,” Joyce says, adding that there is always enough left for friends and family to take home. The philosophy reveals itself in her kitchen: XL-sized vessels line the shelves, despite the fact that she lives alone. The meal she prepares for us could easily have fed a team of 15, if not more.

This year, the celebrations will be split between her home and Scarlet House, the year-old all-day restaurant run by her daughter Malaika and grandson Arhaan. Scarlet House is also hosting a Joyce-curated Christmas menu, featuring her favourites — the jeera aloo we tasted, her slow-cooked wine mutton, Kerala-style fried fish, Christmas roast chicken and a bold, tangy pork vindaloo. Vegetarians should look out for the kalan, a coconut-and-curd curry made with petha (white pumpkin).

The past decade also saw Joyce sharing glimpses of her life — along with photographs and short recipe videos of her food — on Instagram, slowly building a following of over 40,000. “My partner used to shoot and edit the videos,” she says. “He passed away recently. That’s when I stopped.” There’s a pause but not an ending. Joyce is thinking of starting again, this time on YouTube. “I’m going to call it The Joyce of Cooking,” she says with a chuckle — choosing, as she always has, to keep feeding people in new ways.

Recipe for palak chicken:

Ingredients

• Chicken: 1 kg, cleaned and cut into large pieces

• Onions: 3 large, roughly chopped

• Tomatoes: 3 large, cut into quarters

• Palak (spinach): 1 large bunch, roughly chopped

• Fresh coriander leaves: 2 generous handfuls

• Green chillies: 8

• Ginger: 1-inch piece

• Garlic: 8 cloves

• Potatoes: 3 large, peeled and kept whole

• Kasuri methi: 1 heaped tsp

• Garam masala: 1½ tbsp

• Red chilli powder: 1 tbsp

• Turmeric (haldi): 1 heaped tsp

• Oil: as needed

• Salt: to taste

Method:

Wash all the vegetables thoroughly. In a large bowl, combine the spinach, onions, tomatoes, coriander leaves, green chillies, ginger and garlic. In a small bowl, combine all spices. Heat oil in a large kadai. Lower the heat, add the spice mix and quickly add the chopped vegetables.

Mix well, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes until softened. Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool completely. Grind it into a coarse paste — this texture is key to the dish. Meanwhile, clean the chicken thoroughly and cut it into large pieces.

Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add the whole peeled potatoes and cook them for a few minutes until lightly coloured. Remove and set aside.
In the same cooker, add the ground palak paste along with some water. Add the chicken and potatoes. Mix well.

Close the lid and cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes. After two whistles, lower the flame and let it simmer gently. Switch off the heat. Let the pressure release naturally. Serve hot.