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Origami appetizers

Samboosa assembly

1. When you quarter your tortilla, this is what it should look like. 2. Fold the bottom corner toward the upper middle of the piece, and swipe along the edge facing you with flour paste.

3. Fold the other corner up to make a cone and press together over the glue strip so you have a cone-shaped pocket. Fill with 1 tablespoon of meat.

4. To seal the meat in, press the top edge of the cone over the meat and swipe with glue. Dot the front-middle of cone with glue.

5. Fold the back flap over the whole thing, making a neat stuffed triangle.

Authentic samboosa wrappers
(Instead of store-bought tortillas or wraps)
Makes 32
4 cups flour
about two-thirds cup warm water

In a large bowl, slowly mix the water into the flour with your hands, kneading together, stretching, and folding until you have a ball of dough that doesn’t stick to your hands. Knead dough on a floured counter until uniform (about 5 minutes). Form dough into a uniform log, and cut into 8 equal pieces and make into balls (each should be just smaller than an orange). Press balls into four-inch wide patties. Oil the top of one patty with your fingertips, put another patty on top of that, and roll them together with a rolling pin into a 10-inch double-thick tortilla. Put an upside-down pie plate on top, and trace around the edge with a knife so you end up with a neat circle, which is important come assembly time. Do that three more times with the rest of the dough, so you have four double-thick tortillas.

Heat a large dry sauté pan on high heat until super hot. Take the raw edge of each side of your four double-thick tortillas by flashing each side on the hot pan, for 10-20 seconds, without cooking or browning. Cut the tortillas into quarters (like a pizza) and peel each quarter into two like you’re peeling a sticker off its backing. You’ll have 32 pieces now, and you’re ready to assemble the samboosas.

A note on toasting spices
Toast whole spices like coriander and cumin in a dry sauté pan for 2-3 minutes until they just start to turn light brown and release their divine scents. Take a whiff. The tangy, minty, peppery smell opens your soul like windows in spring.

Lindsay Sterling can be reached atlindsay@lindsaysterling.com.