"I realised I could turn that passion into a career."
Shadi Faleel has built a global following by showing that Indian and Sri Lankan cooking does not have to be complicated to be full of flavour.
The chef and content creator, who has more than 1.8 million followers across her social media platforms, began cooking at 12 after learning from her mother and wider family.
Her Indo-Sri Lankan heritage, including her father’s South Indian roots, has shaped the flavours and traditions that continue to influence her recipes today.
After spending more than a decade working in banking in Dubai, she moved to the UK and turned her passion for food into a full-time career, helping home cooks recreate everything from everyday meals to restaurant-style dishes.
Her growing influence has now extended into publishing her first cookbook, Easy Indian Food Anyone Can Make, and launching her debut takeaway RoadHouse Kitchen.
In an interview with DESIblitz, Shadi Faleel discussed the family traditions behind her cooking and her approach to making authentic flavours accessible to home cooks.
Family Roots shaped Shadi Faleel’s Approach to Food
For Shadi Faleel, cooking began as a family experience. Her earliest memories centre on being in the kitchen with her family, where food was part of celebrations, weekends and everyday dinners.
She recalls: “My earliest memories are of being in the kitchen with my family.
“Food was always at the centre of everything, whether it was celebrations, weekends or simple family dinners.
“I watched my mum and relatives cook without measuring anything, relying purely on instinct and experience.
“Looking back, those moments shaped not only my love for cooking but also my belief that food is one of the greatest ways to show love and bring people together.”
Her Indo-Sri Lankan heritage remains central to the food she creates today, as she continues:
“I’m incredibly proud of my Indo-Sri Lankan heritage. It’s influenced everything I cook.”
“My recipes reflect the food I grew up eating at home, full of bold flavours, family traditions and dishes passed down through generations.
“I love staying true to those authentic flavours while making them simple enough for anyone to recreate, no matter their cooking experience.”
That approach has also informed her exploration of southern Indian cuisine and the wider range of dishes she shares.
The emphasis remains on retaining the flavours and traditions behind a recipe while making the process manageable for people cooking at home.
From Banking to Building a Food Community
Shadi Faleel’s route into food was not a conventional one.
After moving to Dubai, she worked in banking while continuing to cook and share recipes outside her corporate career.
She explains: “Cooking was always my passion, even while I was working in banking.
“I started sharing recipes simply because I enjoyed helping people recreate the food I loved.
“As more people began cooking my recipes and sharing their results, I realised I could turn that passion into a career. It was a big leap, but it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
Her online community has since grown to more than 1.5 million followers.
However, Shadi says the original motivation was much simpler than building a large platform:
“I honestly never imagined it would grow into what it is today. My only goal was to make Indian and Sri Lankan cooking feel less intimidating.
“I think people connected with the fact that I kept everything real, simple and achievable.
“I’ve always listened to my audience, stayed consistent and shared recipes that busy families can genuinely cook at home.”
That connection with home cooks has become an important part of her content.
Rather than assuming that people already understand unfamiliar ingredients or techniques, she focuses on breaking dishes into manageable stages.
Making Indian Cooking Achievable at Home
Shadi Faleel’s recipes are designed to recreate restaurant-style dishes without making the process unnecessarily complicated.
She believes perceptions around Indian and Sri Lankan cooking can discourage people before they even begin.
Detailing misconceptions, Shadi says:
“I think many people believe the food is too complicated or that you need dozens of spices.
“The reality is that once you understand a few basic techniques and key ingredients, it’s actually very straightforward.
“I break recipes down into simple, easy-to-follow steps without compromising on flavour, which gives people the confidence to try something new.”
That principle became particularly important when Shadi moved beyond short-form online recipes and began developing her cookbook, Easy Indian Food Anyone Can Make.
She explains: “Creating a cookbook is completely different from creating content for social media.
“Every recipe had to be tested repeatedly to make sure it worked perfectly for home cooks. It was a long process, but incredibly rewarding.”
“Knowing these recipes, many inspired by my family’s cooking, are now preserved in a book that people can enjoy for years is something I’m very proud of.”
The testing process reflects the practical focus that runs through Shadi’s wider cooking philosophy. Recipes need to work reliably for people in their own kitchens, rather than simply looking appealing on screen.
She applies the same thinking when working with cuisines beyond her Indo-Sri Lankan background.
Authenticity remains important, but she believes it can coexist with clearer instructions, simplified techniques and ingredients that are accessible to modern home cooks.
A Chef, Author and Food Business Owner
Shadi Faleel’s development from home cook and content creator into a chef, author and business owner has added another dimension to her understanding of food.
In 2025, she opened RoadHouse Kitchen in Birmingham city centre, giving her direct experience of running a food business alongside her established online presence.
Operating a food business has brought greater attention to consistency and quality, as Shadi details:
“Running a food business has given me a whole new appreciation for consistency, quality and the customer experience.
“It has taught me how important it is to create dishes that people not only enjoy once but want to come back for again.
“That experience has definitely influenced the way I develop recipes and create content.”
Her cooking now spans cuisines from around the world, but the principle remains consistent:
“For me, it’s about respecting the authenticity of a dish while making the cooking process approachable. I never want to lose the heart of a recipe.
“Instead, I simplify techniques, explain each step clearly and use ingredients that are widely available, so more people can enjoy cooking these incredible dishes at home.”
For Shadi, the significance of her career is ultimately tied to what happens beyond the recipe itself.
The publication of Easy Indian Food Anyone Can Make marked a particularly significant moment because it brought together years of cooking, content creation and family influence in a permanent format.
She adds: “Without a doubt, holding my cookbook for the very first time. It represents years of hard work, sacrifice and support from my family and community.
“But beyond that, the most rewarding part is seeing people cook my recipes, bring their families together around the table and create memories of their own.
“That’s always been the reason I started sharing my food.”
From learning to cook alongside her family in Sri Lanka to building a global audience and opening her own food business in Birmingham, Shadi Faleel’s career has remained closely connected to the way food brings people together.
Easy Indian Food Anyone Can Make reflects that journey, combining recipes influenced by her heritage with the practical approach that has defined her content online.
Its publication also marks a significant step in bringing the flavours and techniques that inspired Shadi’s own cooking into the kitchens of a wider audience.
For the home cooks who have followed her journey, the book offers another way to discover Indian food while developing the confidence to make it themselves.
