Laith Al Mandowi, as featured in SBS Feast magazine, with his Iraqi Qubba.

Laith Al Mandowi, as featured in SBS Feast magazine, with his Iraqi Qubba.Laith Al Mandowi, as featured in SBS Feast magazine, with his Iraqi Qubba.Laith Al Mandowi, as featured in SBS Feast magazine, with his Iraqi Qubba.

When I left Iraq 15 years ago and settled in Sydney, I didn’t cook much but one of the first things I did was visit an Indian grocer to buy spices and pickles because they are similar to those in my homeland and craved a taste. When my sister Sahar joined me here in Australia, she taught me how to cook many of the dishes I remember from Iraq, including Qubba.

I cook it every week for friends and colleagues from SSI, who come to my house. Balance is the key to this dish, so I taste it every couple of minutes and add more seasoning to make sure the flavour is perfect.

Qubba (Iraqi dish of couscous and chicken balls)

Serves 8

Ingredients

125g Bulgur

375g Jereesh

400ml water

1 tablespoon pepper

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon cumin powder

300-400g mince (your choice of meat)

50ml oil 

300g onion finely-chopped

3 cloves crushed garlic

100g parsley finely chopped (3 bunches)

100g shallot finely chopped (optional)

250g zucchini (or any preferred vegetable)

100g pineapple

Handful fresh curry leaves

25g qubba ground spices( cumin, coriander, black pepper, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon)

½ cup tomato paste

½ cup water

Prep 20 minutes. Cooking 20 minutes. 

Method

Mix bulger and jereesh in a bowl with 150ml water. Leave covered for 30 minutes

Meanwhile, fry mince for 5 minutes. Add onion and spices and fry for another 5 minutes. Then add parsley and shallot and stir for 3 minutes.

Add 150ml water to the bulger mix and knead. Leave covered for another 30 minutes.

Then add 100ml of water, knead for 30 seconds, and leave covered for another 15-30 minutes.

Take ¼ cup of bulger mix and flatten in to an 8cm round circle. Place 1 teaspoon of mince in centre of flattened mixand bring the edges up and pinch together to seal them. Flatten in to a 6cm patty.

Put the Qubba in the freezer for at least 2 hours.

Heat up a large pot.

Add the oil and onion, fry for 2 minutes. Add garlic and half the curry leaves, stir for another minute or two.

Add frozen Qubba. Mix

Add vegetable, pineapple and rest of curry leaves.  Mix.

Add water, salt, Qubba spices and tomato paste. Boil for 10 minutes or until mince is fully cooked.

“I came to Australia from Myanmar with my family in 2013 when I was 26 years old. I cook food from my Rohingya heritage, which has similar flavours to that of neighbouring Bangladesh and India.

“Rohingya people have a simple diet that consists primarily of staples rice, fish, vegetables, milk and hot chillies. We cook meat when we entertain guests, as it is considered disrespectful to serve a guest a meal that does not contain meat.

Sajeeda Bahadurmia, as featured in SBS Feast Magazine, is a regular cook at SSI Community Kitchen.

“I learned to cook from my mother when I was a teenager. We would use goat but now that I am in Australia, I like to use beef as this country is famous for its high-quality beef.

“In Rohingya culture we tend to use more chilli, along with traditional Indian spices so you must be cautious when eating a Rohinya curry!”

Rohingya Curry

Serves  4 

Ingredients

1 chopped onion

5 garlic cloves

1.5 teaspoons of chopped ginger

5 long green chillies

1 teaspoon turmeric

2 chopped tomatoes

2 bay leaves

4 cardamom pods

4 peeled and chopped potatoes

Vegetable oil

250ml (1 cup) of beef stock

1kg beef short ribs cut in to 6cm pieces

Salt and pepper to taste

Prep time: 20mins.  Cooking time: 4hours. 

Method: 

Place onion, garlic, ginger and chillies in a food processor and process to a smooth paste. Set aside.

Heat 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil in a heavy-based pan over a medium-to-high heat.

Season beef with salt and pepper and add to pan. Cook beef, turning for 6 minutes or until browned. Remove beef from pan and set aside.

Add another  teaspoon of vegetable oil, then add the paste. Stir 4 minutes, or until starting to colour. Add  tomatoes,  bay leaves and cardamom pods. Cook for 2 minutes, then return the beef to the pan along with beef stock.

Bring to the boil, cover with a lid, and reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3 hours, or until beef is very tender. Add potatoes and cook for a further 30 minutes or until tender.

Remove the lid and cook for 5 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced slightly. Serve with rice.

This recipe and article was originally published in SBS Feast Magazine (which is now out of business).

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When the northerners came into power, they introduced Sharia law into the country, which obviously conflicted with our beliefs and views in the south. A civil war broke out. There were a lot of tensions; it wasn’t safe for my family – my parents, my three siblings and me – to live in Sudan. My parents wanted to stay, but the government destroyed our home. That was the final straw, my father was like, ‘We need to go elsewhere’.

Because there were no UN bases in Sudan at the time, as displaced persons, we had three options of places to go: Kenya, Uganda or Egypt. We had a few relatives in Egypt so, in 1999, we moved to Egypt. We applied for a UN program, then we had to wait to see if we would be accepted into Canada, Australia or America.

In Egypt we lived with our relatives. It was very difficult because we had three families cramped into one unit. There were three rooms, so there was a family in each room. At least there were a lot of children around to play with. But, in general, Egypt was a very bad experience. It was worse than Sudan because there was a lot of discrimination towards black people and Christians.

In 2002, three years after arriving in Egypt, we were accepted by Australia. We’re very lucky. I know some people who’ve been living there for 10 years, just waiting. It was easier for my family’s paperwork to be processed because we were a ‘small’ family – six family members. A typical Sudanese household is very large, like, 11 people. And a lot of people lost their parents in the civil war so they’d usually be adopted by their uncle or their aunties; I know families where there were 14 kids. We were a small family, so we were easier to process.

I can’t explain the feeling of being granted visas by Australia. My mother was so happy. She almost fainted when the UN base in Egypt called to say, ‘Come in to collect your passports’. It was the best day of my mum’s life. We threw a party.

When we came to Australia, when I was about nine, it was refreshing. To even just step out at the airport and not be looked at differently because of our skin colour or anything, it was really great.

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As a child I was very playful and inquisitive, so I wanted to know everything, which made it easy for me to pick up English. I made a lot of friends at my school in Auburn. As for my parents, they were much older so it was more difficult for them. Plus, they were sceptical. Because in Egypt we weren’t really accepted, they were sceptical that that would happen here in Australia too.

I really liked Australia from the start. In particular I like the liberal ideals that promote equality and tolerance of people of different backgrounds and religions. And, most importantly, this whole idea of secularism – separating religion from state and government affairs.

For the first two to three years my parents found it difficult to find work, mainly because my father left school in year 8. So for the first two years we were on Centrelink. Then after completing her Cert III in English, my mother did certificates in childcare services, and in our third year she began working in childcare. My father did all sorts of jobs. At first I think he worked in a chicken factory. Then he did some labouring work.  

I was asked to apply to be a member of the Youth Collective — a new initiative of SSI and migrant resource centres, to give multicultural youth a voice — by another member of the Youth Collective, who I knew through my involvement with Auburn Youth Centre.

What I like about the Youth Collective is that it involves people from a range of different organisations, backgrounds and areas. So we have young people who really understand the problems young people experience. Then we’ve got the guidance of the elders – the guidance of the elders and the energy of the youth.

One thing I’d really like to see the Youth Collective achieve is helping young people become employed. I’m employed at the moment; I work part-time at Kmart while I do full-time study at Macquarie Uni, studying Social Science. I previously did a Diploma in Marketing. My job is good, but it’s a temporary contract position, so soon I’ll be going back to looking for a job. I think youths need help with this type of thing: resume writing, interview questions and understanding the sorts of things expected by employers.

Unemployment is the root cause of a lot of young people’s other problems. When you’re younger, you can enjoy the simple things in life – you can go to the park and run around, but when you get older, you need money, to go out and socialise with friends. After a while there’s a lack of confidence because, you know, you don’t have the money to do the things you want. So we really have to tackle that issue.

I think multicultural youth need this sort of guidance even more because, growing up, I had to learn everything on my own. My parents gave me a lot of moral guidance, but they couldn’t tell me the ins and outs of everything because they were new here too. So I had to pick up everything along the way. And I picked up on some of the important things later than most of my peers who had that sort of guidance from their parents.”

YouTube: John Mashar talks about growing up in Australia as a young boy from Sudan. 

YouTube: John Mashar talks about his hopes and goals for helping young people find employment.

Mr Nguyen fled Vietnam by boat with his family at the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 when he was eight years old, due to fear of persecution. “Our boat broke down at sea, but luckily everyone on board was rescued by a passing foreign merchant ship and taken to a refugee camp in Hong Kong,” says Mr Nguyen.

“My father applied for us to be accepted as refugees by Australia. The then-Prime Minister Malcom Fraser’s, and his government’s, decision to accept Vietnamese refugees changed the life course of my family and the many other Vietnamese people who were welcomed, embraced and provided with safe haven.

“If it had not been for Malcom Fraser’s refugee program, my family may have spent years languishing in the refugee camp in Hong Kong. I’m not sure where we would have ended up. When I think of Malcom Fraser, I feel immense gratitude.

“His passing fills me with sadness.”

SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis also has great respect for Mr Fraser. “Malcolm Fraser was a complex man who walked the talk when it came to valuing the worth and importance of vulnerable people,” she said.

“His voice was one of reason, compassion and sensitivity in relation to refugees and asylum seekers, the value of multiculturalism and the principles of standing up for those who were voiceless.

“SSI and many organisations working with the vulnerable, such as ours, have gained courage from Malcolm Fraser’s convictions and voice. His legacy will live on in every refugee and asylum seeker who is given the opportunity to start a new life in Australia and live the life they want to live.”

SSI is a leading not-for-profit organisation providing a range of services in the areas of humanitarian settlement, accommodation, asylum seeker assistance, foster care and disability support in NSW. SSI is the largest not-for-profit humanitarian settlement organisation in Australia.

“Refugees and asylum seekers often end up in overcrowded share houses, and even on the streets,” said SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis.

“It’s quite common for SSI’s refugee and asylum seeker clients to pay 30 to 55 per cent of their income on rent, making it difficult for them to afford bills, food and transport as well,” added Ms Roumeliotis.

Sydney is commonly among the ‘most expensive cities in the world’ lists. Through the Affordable Housing Campaign, which SSI supports, the Sydney Alliance has called on the NSW Government to implement practical policies to promote housing affordability.

“At SSI we believe that practical policies are needed to make Sydney more affordable for all residents, leading to a beneficial trickle-down effect for refugees and asylum seekers,” said Ms Roumeliotis.

“More affordable rentals, through the National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS) or similar, coupled with innovative property purchasing models, would mean that working Australian residents – from refugee and non-refugee backgrounds – could potentially move out of private rentals or social housing sooner.

“It would also result in more vacancies in the private rental market, which would lead to improved access and price stability, which is a top concern for refugees and asylum seekers.”

Ms Roumeliotis said it was important that governments maintain a strong commitment to specialist homelessness services (SHS) funding to allow these services to assist asylum seekers and refugees who, because of the precarious nature of their accommodation, are often at risk of homelessness.

“But then the Fam family, who owns the property, contacted us. Richard Fam, the head of the family and the founder of their business, Fam International, arrived in Australia as a refugee from Vietnam. When he found out about the work SSI does, he wanted to help the organisation out,” added Ms Stainer.

John Fam, Richard’s son and the Director of Fam International, explained: “My dad had to leave Vietnam in the late 1970s with his eldest son, arriving at a refugee camp in Thailand, where my sister was born. After a while, my parents, our sister and our older brother were accepted by Australia. Then my other brother and I were born in Australia.”

“As kids, we knew what the struggle was like for refugees; facing discrimination and other problems. So when my dad found out what Settlement Services International does, he thought how fantastic it is that organisations like this exist these days to assist refugees.

“He said to me and my brother David, ‘Do whatever it takes to make this happen.”

Ms Stainer added, “We are so appreciative to Richard Fam, who has worked so hard to achieve what he has.”

Richard arrived in Australia at about the age of 30. “He started out like everyone tends to: he did factory work,” said his son John. “He did double shifts and triple shifts, and he saved every dollar he earned. He’s had so many different types of jobs since then.

“When Vietnam opened back up to refugees who had to flee the country, he was one of the first people to go back to visit, and he started importing and exporting.”

John said that he and his siblings were always involved in the family business. And every single cent was reinvested back in the business.

Now Richard is enthusiastic to invest in the community. “It’s about giving back to Australia,” said John. “We are very pleased to be able to help SSI, it’s our pleasure.”

Thanks to the generosity of the Fam family, SSI signed the lease for Little Saigon Plaza in December 2014, and it is expected that the fit-out contractor will commence the required building works shortly.

The therapist facilitates vocal and instrumental improvisation to help participants confront issues surrounding mistrust and social isolation that develop as a result of past traumatic experiences. The program also provides an opportunity for participants to express their creativity and individuality.

The workshops are part of the SSI Arts and Culture Program, aim to increase the social and emotional wellbeing of SSI asylum seeker and refugee clients through communal music making.

Weekly music sessions for these clients will run every Tuesday from 3 to 4:30pm at Granville Youth and Community Recreation Centre until April 28.

This year, the sessions have expanded to another SSI program; the Playtime multicultural playgroup. At SSI Playtime, the music therapist is facilitating musical activities for the pre-school-aged children of refugee and asylum seeker mums, until March 31, while the mothers take part in English lessons.

Keren David, SSI Community Engagement Practitioner who runs Playtime, said the kids loved last week’s music session. “Anna Chapman [the music therapist] facilitated an engaging and exciting session, demonstrating a few instruments and leading singalongs.

“The children responded with great interest and enthusiasm, enjoying the singing and group interaction. It was a fabulous opportunity for Playtime’s children to express creativity through music.”

The aim of the Standing Together campaign is to send a strong message that recent events carried out by gunmen in Sydney and overseas, during which a number of people died, should not divide the community.

SSI is the umbrella organisation for NSW Migrant Resource Centres and Multicultural Services, and shares the concerns of its members about the effect these events have had on the local community, not only the Muslim community but also refugee and migrant groups.

SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis said that MRCs share values of social justice, diversity, respect, and compassion, and so too does the majority of the population.

“We have all worked hard over many years to develop a vibrant and unified multicultural society, and we can’t let the actions of a few individuals affect the sense of community and cohesion that we have established,” said Ms Roumeliotis.

Individual event details:

Auburn Diversity Services Inc.:
Lunch & entertainment
11am-1pm
17 Macquarie Road, AUBURN
Event information: Aynalem on 9649 6955

Community Migrant Resource Centre:
Community Walk
10am
Centenary Square, Parramatta Town Hall
Event information: Priscella Engall 9687 9901

Fairfield Migrant Resource Centre:
Soccer tournament, community BBQ
3pm-6pm
Mounties Bowling Club, Uleverstone street, Fairfield
Event information: Abdul on 97270477

Illawarra Multicultural Services:
Lunchtime celebration of peace and harmony
12.30pm – 2pm
Civic Plaza, Burelli Street Wollongong
Event information: Mohan Gunasekara on 0409 717 877

Liverpool Migrant Resource Centre:
Community Breakfast
Presentation and discussion
8:30am- 10am
108 Moore Street, Liverpool
Event information: Hodan Admed on 9601 3788

Macarthur Diversity Services:
Community Cohesion Networking Afternoon Tea
3pm-5pm
Café Kulcha L1, 171-179 Queen St, Campbelltown
RSVP Essential: 4627 1188

Northern Settlement Services:
Community BBQ
12pm-3pm
Multicultural Neighbourhood Centre, 3 Illalung Road, Lambton
Event information: Lulu Tantos on 4969 3399

St George Migrant Resource Centre:
The spiritual practice of fasting: Intellectual and spiritual enlightenment with local religious leaders and scholars.
5:30pm-8:00pm
Civic Theatre, Hurstville Entertainment Centre, 16 MacMahon Street, Hurstville
Event information: Sarithya on 0424 543 389

SydWest Multicultural Service:
Community BBQ, speakers, local entertainment
10am-12.30pm
Village Green, Campbell St, Blacktown
Event information: Silvana on 9621 6633

Sydney Multicultural Community Services:
Community BBQ
12pm-3pm
3 General Bridges Crescent, Daceyville
Event information: Inja on 9663 3922

Events were held in the LGAs of Hornsby, Nowra, Ku-ring-gai, Ryde, North Sydney, Hawkesbury, Blue Mountains and City of Sydney. These were an opportunity for the community to meet ALNSW Coordinators – their local “Linkers”.

Linkers work closely with people with disability, their families and carers to support them to fulfil their goals, hopes and dreams: this includes participation in sport, education, volunteering, or other activities in the community.

SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis said Linkers have strong local knowledge and work alongside communities, supporting them to be welcoming and inclusive.

“Linkers have been recruited to work with people and communities, including those from diverse backgrounds. Some SSI Linkers are bilingual, so the benefit of Ability Links NSW is that people of all backgrounds can feel supported to achieve their goals.”

Living Life My Way Champion Tish Peiris shared her experiences of life before and after disability at the North Sydney community event. Ms Peiris is a journalist and filmmaker and is a passionate supporter of ALNSW and the human rights of people with disability.

Member for Goulburn the Hon. Pru Goward participated in her local event by cutting an ALNSW cake and talking to attendees. Other events involved live music, quizzes, special guest speakers, and sharing of ALNSW participant stories.

ALNSW is for people with disability aged 9 to 64 years and their families and carers. Individuals, clubs, groups and businesses can also access ALNSW for information and support on inclusion of people with a disability.

SSI, in partnership with UnitingCare and the St Vincent De Paul delivers ALNSW to over 60 LGAs.

To find out more about ALNSW or who your local linker is, call (02) 8977 6700 or email abilitylinks@ssi.org.au

Or visit SSI’s ALNSW webpage: Ability Links NSW.

To communicate in another language call the Translating and Interpreting (TIS) service on 131 450.

SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis thanked the Hillsong members for their on-going support in 2014.

“We all make a special effort to be generous at this time of year but Hillsong Church members have been generous towards SSI’s clients all year,” Ms Roumeliotis said. “The church has supported SSI’s Community Kitchen on a number of occasions with donations of food and household items for people who struggle financially to meet their basic needs.

“Most of the people seeking asylum, who SSI support, do not have visas to work in Australia and live on about $32 a day. These donations of food will help families share a meal together, as many other Australian families will. And the gifts will surely put some smiles on the faces of about 100 children and teenagers. SSI thanks Hillsong members for their continued generosity.”

Jason Allen, a spokesman for the church, said Hillsong members felt a responsibility to help people seeking asylum in Australia.

“Any time that we see people in need in our own backyard, regardless of how they got here, we have an obligation to help them,” he said.

Mr Allen said it looked as though Hillsong members and their networks of friends had donated significantly more this year than the more than 80,000 items of food and toys that were distributed across 89 different organisations in 2013.

“Having people living below the poverty line in Australia just doesn’t seem right,” he said. “We encourage people at our services to be generous and I’m just blown away by how generous they are.”

If you would like to contribute to SSI’s support services for asylum seekers and refugees, you can: