About me
“I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits.”
— Martin Luther King Jr.
I am the proud mom of two brown boys, an unapologetic advocate for equity, a professor of public policy, and an avid lover of all things food, art and comedy-related.
My favorite recipes
Makes me like bread
Recipe card
Parent Pep Talk
Hard to screw up Tandoori salmon
Some rules so Salads don’t suck
Funny infographic
Thums Up, 2022
Marigold, 2023
Royal Dansk Cookies, 2023
White Supremacy, 2021
Poke, 2022
AANHPI Solidarity, 2022
Cold, 2021
Murdered, Not Martyred, 2020
The Vaccine, 2021
AOC, 2021
Inauguration, 2021
PV, 2021
Asafoetida, 2021
PP Soul Food, 2021
Leftovers, 2022
OG Recycling, 2022
Dishoom, 2022
Birthday, 2023
For custom commissions,
please contact
jajinkya@gmail.com
In 2021, I was inspired by a badass working mom named Michelle Li, who turned a racist incident around on its head and used it to spearhead a movement of joy and affirmation into becoming the Very Asian Foundation. Through her I met other fierce and fun mothers who similarly wanted our kids to grow up with pride in their heritage and complete conviction that to be Very Asian can also be Very American.
One thing led to another and I had the amazing opportunity to publish my first kids book, A Very Asian Guide to Indian Food, with GlooBooks (one of the other fierce mom’s inclusive indie children’s publishing house!). It’s beautifully illustrated by the very talented Aditi Kakade Beaufrand, and I feel lucky to have her art bring this book alive.
San Dias City
One of the best parts is that it’s part of an awesome series. Doesn’t this bundle look dope?
A Very Asian Guide to Indian Food is about the intricacies and importance of food in our lives. A must read for every child as they attempt to navigate their Indian roots in a Western world.
- VIKRAM SUNDERAM, James Beard award-winning chef at
Rasika in Washington DC
That time we were spotted in notorious Hot Mom Chrissy Teigen’s fridge because she was suggesting you get it as a holiday gift for everyone you love in her annual Holiday Gift Guide!
Or that time
shared my attempt at NOT frying my phone:
MORE WRITING
Tandoori Salmon
Ingredients
- 1.5-2lbs salmon filets
- 1 TBSP garlic paste
- 1 TBSP ginger paste
- 1 tsp salt
Directions
- 2 TBSP tandoori masala
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 2 TBSP neutral oil
- Combine the first 6 ingredients to make a paste.
- Rub the paste on the salmon filets.
- Marinate for 15-20 minutes.
- Broil under high heat for 10-12 minutes., or until the filets are lightly charred.
- Squeeze with a bit of fresh lemon and enjoy!.
@gastropolitico
PARENT PEP TALK: Tandoori Salmon
Breathe.
You haven’t lost the equivalent of an entire year in sleep just to let a meal break you.
Let this pink fish solve your everlasting struggle to get your littles to eat something that isn’t bland and could not be easily recreated in either a school lunchroom or an abandoned meth house.
This is also low-stakes, high reward to let them pitch in. You handle the broiler because no one needs to burn the house down, but let them make the paste, smear it on with their hands, get messy.
PRO TIP: The Scarcity Principle at Meal Time
Tell your kids that you’re not thrilled about it, but you’re supposed to LET them have “at least a bite,” otherwise you’ll get in trouble. From whom? Doesn’t matter. The tantalizing possibility of you in trouble for once and the suggestion that they shouldn’t have what you want so badly will help blur their need for detail.