Sunday lunch: white people’s Indian edition. Although half my family can’t handle spicy food, Indian cuisine is still delicious, provided the fire is turned way down.

1. Indian Spiced Chicken with Raita
An amazing marinade and baking on a bed of onions makes the chicken super tender and tasty. I would actually up the amount of cayenne in the marinade if I was to make this again. A bit of kick would make the dish better and burning mouths could be abated with lots of the dairy-based raita.

2. Chana Masala
One can never go wrong with chickpeas. I think I’ve developed an obsession for chickpea based dishes. If I knew where to get my hands on some tahini, this house would surely be overrun by hummus.

3. Chopped Cucumber and Peanut Salad
Although I know that removing the seeds from the cucumber prevents the salad from becoming drowned in its own water, I just can’t bring myself to do it; the seeds are the best part of it! The resulting bag of cucumber peels is also great to soothe and moisturize skin—lunch and a facial all in one.

4. Chai
Recipe from my beloved Joy of Cooking (Scribner, 2006). Very simple to make, provided you have the requisite spices and keep a close enough watch on your milk that it doesn’t boil over.