Desi food, as delicious as it is, simply wasn't designed with the comfort of the South Asian woman in mind. Let's face it—our grandmothers and their grandmothers before them sweated over hot fires, cried over chopped onions and stirred over ... well, they just stirred. Over. And over and over and over again, just to achieve the savory goodness of spicy curries or the sweet smoothness of ras malai.

But just because our foremothers spent hours in the kitchen doesn't mean you have to. Nirali has modernized three traditional snacks without sacrificing traditional taste. So the next time your parents decide to drop by, dazzle them with a spread that will leave them wondering whether you have a hidden auntie cooking in your kitchen.

Mix ground round and water in saucepan over high heat. Add onions, salt, black pepper, red pepper, garlic, ginger and cumin. When water comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium. Continue cooking meat (covered) on medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until all water has evaporated. Sautee ground round on high heat for five minutes, stirring continuously. When the meat is dry and lightly browned, remove from heat. Mix cooked meat with green onions, green chiles and fresh cilantro or mint. Cover and heat on low heat for 1 minute to bring out the aroma, if desired.

Boil potato cubes in water for about 5 minutes. Drain. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix together.

Samosa preparation:
In a bowl, mix flour with a little bit of water to create a gluey paste.

To make the samosas, place one 8-inch flour tortilla in a toaster-oven for five seconds, allowing the two sides of the tortilla to separate. Next, using a pizza cutter, cut the tortilla in half. Then separate the two sides of the tortilla. From one tortilla, you will have four pieces to make four samosas. Take one end of the tortilla piece and fold the corner so that forms a little triangle. Fold the triangle two more times, fill with meat or vegetable mixture, fold over again and seal with gluey paste. Make all 40 before you fry them.

Heat oil over high heat for deep frying. When the oil starts smoking, reduce to medium heat. Fry samosas until golden brown. Drain over paper towels. Serve hot with any chutney or even ketchup. Makes 40 samosas.