Ginger: Standing Up To Racism Against the Asian Community During A Global Pandemic

This blog post is a contribution by Chef Tanorria Askew. The original blog post can be found on Tanorria’s Table.

My sweet friend Tasha Jun and I have shared quite a few meals while sitting at Unity Tables. She has shared the good, bad, and ugly about being a Korean American woman here in the midwest. That same vulnerability has been beautifully spoken within her blog posts, her Instagram posts, and just between the two of us as friends.

When Tasha reached out to me about the Asian American Christian Collaborative, I knew it was important. After reading through the Statement on Anti-Racism in the time of COVID-19 I was left with no other choice but to sign it. It was a simple decision for me as someone who fights for my racial justice. This was a no-brainer.

The Asian American community has been under heightened attacks since the influx of COVID-19 cases in America. Members of the Asian community are being targeted due to the nickname this horrible virus has been given, “The Chinese Virus.” They’re being attacked, degraded, and even murdered simply because they resemble an Asian American person. The Asian community is not the enemy here; this horrific virus is the enemy, no one should be treated with the hate and indecency that Asian Americans have suffered.

After signing the statement, I got a shout-out on Twitter from the Asian American Christian Collaborative to say “thank you.” One tweet led to another, and next thing you know, I’m writing recipes for Ray Chang and the collaborative! His request was to come up with “an anti-racist recipe that stands in the face of blandness, but also stands in solidarity with others, and celebrates the diversity of the pan Asian community.” I’m going to be honest. I had no idea what he was talking about! Thank goodness for my Indy Women in Food friends, Ruchi and Connie! I have been fortunate enough to connect with so many talented women in food, from a multitude of cultures, thanks to this wonderful group I belong to.

Ruchi, Connie, and I came up with an idea that I am so excited to share with you! We determined that ginger is an excellent ingredient to feature while each creating a recipe that celebrated our own cultures. Ginger is considered universal these days but originated in ancient Southeast Asia. Today, you can find it in European, African, Caribbean and Mexican cuisine, just to name a few. We decided to feature ginger three different ways by making a delicious beverage, an entree, and a dessert. I cannot wait for you to try each of these recipes!

Ruchi of The Tiffin Kitchen is a master of all things tea. She is a vegetarian chef who specializes in cuisine from South Asia. Her knowledge of the beautiful way Indian spices work together is inspiring. You saw Ruchi and I work together previously when we collaborated over okra. She taught me something then and she’s teaching me now. This time around, she created the most delicious Ginger Cardamon Chai recipe that is incredibly easy to make. Friends, this is chai from scratch! It doesn’t get any better than this! Not only did Ruchi create this amazing recipe just for this blog post, but she did it while working the frontlines as a health care worker during this COVID-19 pandemic. I am so honored to call her my friend and so grateful to her for working to bring our city back to good health.

Connie is also on the frontline, preparing delicious food from her family’s restaurant to feed our city. While she had to cut her staff incredibly short to stay open, she is doing everything she can to keep Mikado’s doors open. I have had the pleasure of stopping by a couple of times to purchase some of her freezer-ready dumplings and my favorite Mikao sushi roll, the Seafood Puff Roll. Connie found the time to write up a recipe for Ginger Basil Chicken. It’s not often we have a Chinese food recipe from scratch. This is one she considers a family recipe, what an honor!

I told you all I had amazing friends! Friends that inspire me and push my creativity. This time, they pushed me to celebrate ginger within my own culture. I grew up eating 7-up cake and I consider it a Southern American staple. When I decided to take on a dessert, I knew exactly what to do. This Gingery Ginger Ale Cake ditches the boxed cake mix commonly used for 7-up cakes. The ginger flavor is enhanced by adding fresh ginger to the cake batter and the reduced ginger ale glaze. It’s excellent served with fresh berries.

This recipe commission was an absolute honor. I hope after reading this, you will get out of your kitchen comfort zone and cook up something a little different that includes ginger. While we are loving our neighbors from a distance right now, it’s still incredibly important that we actually love them. We are all in this together.

Be safe, my friends!

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Tanorria Askew of Tanorria’s Table is a passionate home cook turned Chef. 

She is the proud owner of Tanorria’s Table where she works as a personal chef and tv personality. Tanorria has a keen sense of flavor and prides herself in making everything she cooks memorable.  With her cooking roots originating from Tennessee, Tanorria has fun putting a modern spin on American Comfort Food.

A 2016 contestant on MasterChef hosted by Gordon Ramsay, Tanorria walked away as the 4th best home cook in America. 

Tanorria was the champion and practitioner for Teachers Credit Union’s Diversity and Inclusion Initiative, leading the charge in winning the Indianapolis Mayor’s Celebration of Diversity Award.  She blended her passion for cooking and her passion for D&I to create Unity Tables.  A safe space for women of different races, cultures and backgrounds to sit around a dinner table and share their heart as a way to create unity.  Since leaving TCU, Tanorria’s has had the privilege of speaking to audiences as a Keynote speaker, Emcee, and Panelist about her significant career shift, diversity and inclusion, social justice, and the courage it takes to chase dreams.