TO MAKE THE SUGAR SYRUP:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine together the sugar, water and squeeze of lemon juice. Set on a stovetop over high heat. Try to avoid stirring it as it heats to prevent crystallization from happening, but if the sugar is not dissolving, then help it out with a few stirs. Once it comes to a boil, STOP stirring.

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2. Bring to a rolling boil, then immediately reduce the heat to medium and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Set a timer! The syrup will thicken, and have a consistency similar to corn syrup. It should be slightly thicker than the average simple syrup used for kunafa.

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3. Remove from heat. Transfer to a medium bowl, liquid measuring cup or gravy boat and allow to cool to room temperature before using.

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TO MAKE THE SAMOSAS (SAMBOOSAK):

1. Unwrap the cream cheese squares and cut each square into 6 equal pieces. If only tub or brick-style cream cheese is available to you, then use about a 1/4 teaspoon-ish of that per mini samosa.

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2. Unwrap the samosa wrappers from its packaging and place on a cutting board. Leave all the sheets intact and stacked on top of each other; do not separate the sheets. Using a sharp knife, cut the stack of wrappers from the middle, vertically into 2 equal stacks. Then cut each stack in half horizontally. You should now have 4 equal stacks. Cover the samosa sheets with a damp tea towel to avoid drying out.

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3. Peel one sheet of samosa wrapper to work with at time, keeping the rest covered.

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4. Hold one sheet of wrapper with one hand, then using the other hand, pick the upper left corner of the wrapper, pull it down and form an inverted cone around your finger. Please refer to video. Insert one piece of the cut up cream cheese inside the cone. Gently press down the cone to flatten the piece of cheese. Lift the long, dangling side of the sheet up to cover the exposed piece of cheese. Continue wrapping the the long side of the sheet around the cheese triangle. When you reach the end, you should be left with a tiny piece of sheet hanging out. Dab that little piece with a thin layer of egg white or flour paste (this will act as a glue), then grab that piece and tuck it inside the pocket in the triangle to close it up. Repeat with the remaining sheets.

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5. Freeze the samosa triangles for at least 1 hour or up to a month. Freezing helps prevent the cheese from leaking out, and sets the "glue."

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6. To cook the samosas, fill a large skillet with enough oil to cover the bottom of the skillet, about 1 cm high. Alternatively you may also deep fry in a lot of oil, if you prefer, or in as little a couple of tablespoons of oil for a healthier variation. Heat over medium heat until shimmering.

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7. Place enough samosas to fill the skillet without overcrowding it. Fry for about 2 to 3 minutes on the first side until golden in color and feels crisp to the touch, then turn them to the other side and cook for another minute or two until nicely colored and crisped as well. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

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8. When ready to serve, spread a thin layer of the sugar syrup on the bottom of a serving platter, then arrange the samosas over it. Drizzle with more syrup, but don't drown them. You might not need all of it. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios, if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature. They are best eaten the same day they're made.

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RECIPE NOTES

1. Both an egg white or a flour paste may be used to seal the dough. To make the flour paste, stir together 2 1/2 tablespoons (19g) flour with 2 tablespoons sugar until a smooth paste forms.

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2. Filled (not fried) samosas keep really well in the freezer, for up to 1 month. You could double (or quadruple) the quantity and store in the freezer in zipper lock bags until needed. Just allow to thaw slightly, for about 10 minutes, until you heat the oil, before frying.

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3. When getting the samosa package, avoid the reduced-fat kind as it tends to break while wrapping

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4. Kiri cheese - tub or brick-style cream cheese may be substituted

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