Every year, thousands risk their lives on un-seaworthy vessels, hoping to land on safer and more prosperous shores.

There are more than 150,000 refugees registered with the UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, in Malaysia. This, despite the government refusing to sign any international convention recognising the rights of refugees.

In this weekly series for the month of October, we share the stories of the refugees through the one thing that binds us all - food.

It is Monday, just after 1pm.

The doorbell rings, and Fara rushes to open it and usher in the last two arrivals to her cooking class.

There is a continuous babble as the women come in from the kitchen to greet the newcomers.

The sound of their voices mingle, rising and falling as they embrace and exchange the latest news with each other.

Some have brought a dish they prepared which they place on the dining table, to share.

In the middle of this happy mingling, Fara runs back and forth from the kitchen to attend to the food cooking on the stove.

Attracted by the tantalising smells, the rest of the women drift in and assemble in a semicircle around Fara, who explains the procedure of making the dishes she is cooking today.

Cooking matter of pride

The women watch Fara, and her friend Miriam, skilfully mould the spiced minced meat around the metal skewers to make the famous koobideh kabob .

Another of the women, Bita, is kneeling by the rectangular metal barbecue set on the floor of the small balcony and she fans the coals to get them glowing. As they turn red hot, the first round of the kabob and tomatoes are placed on the grill.

As the scent of the grilled meat fills the kitchen, the women laughingly jostle against each other to get the table ready, arranging the chairs around and setting the plates.

Some help garnish the food as Fara makes last minute adjustments. In Iranian culture, food presentation is as important as the taste, and Fara leaves no detail unattended.

It is as much a matter of habit as it is of pride.

Finally, everything is on the table, and everyone takes out their phones to capture the full splendour of the appetising spread. They all squeeze around the table.

Food is being passed around in a synchronised dance of plates, whilst conversations run aplenty amongst the clinking of forks.

Fara’s Gormeh sabzi (mixed herbs and lamb stew)

Gormeh means stewed and sabzi is herbs in Farsi, and many call this the national dish of Iran.

The key element is the use of a mixture of fresh herbs, to give this stew its distinctive tangy earthy flavour.

Although there are variations in the herbs used, the usual combination is a mix of fresh parsley, leeks, spinach, and fenugreek leaves.

As it is not possible to find fresh fenugreek in Malaysia, the dried variety is used instead. As with any Iranian stew, steamed basmati rice is always served alongside it.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

150g leek, finely chopped

150g parsley leaves, finely chopped

150g spinach leaves, finely chopped

2 heaped tbsp dried fenugreek

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large red onion, finely diced

1½ tsp ground turmeric

600g lamb, cut into even medium chunks (can use beef instead)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

200g dry red kidney beans, soaked overnight

or 1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

500ml water

4 dried limoo amani (dried limes) or 3 tbsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice

Method

1. First make the sabzi . In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and fry the leeks for a couple of minutes until soft and translucent.

Add the parsley, stirring continuously until it decreases in size then add the spinach.

Stir everything well and cook for a few minutes until the spinach wilts and any water extracted from the vegetables evaporates; be careful not to burn.

Finally, add the dried fenugreek and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Take off the heat and set aside.

2. In a large pot, sauté the onion with the olive oil over medium heat until translucent. Add the turmeric with the onions and stir well.

Add the meat and fry until brown on all sides.

Add the sabzi mix, rinsed dried kidney beans, salt, and pepper; stir to incorporate everything well.

3. Pour 500ml water to cover it all, bring to a quick boil over high heat for a couple of minutes.

Rinse the dried limes and pierce them all around with a fork and put them in the stew (if using lemon juice instead, add it now) – the dried limes will float.

Reduce the heat to the lowest setting, cover and simmer for 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours.

4. After 1 hour, give it a good stir and add a bit more water if too dry. You want to have a thick liquid consistency.

If you are using canned kidney beans add them at this point, check if more salt is needed, cover and continue simmering for a further 45 - 60 minutes, until the meat is really tender and the beans are cooked through.

5. The longer it cooks, the better the flavours will be with the dried lemons adding their essential citrussy tanginess that cuts through the slight bitterness of the herbs.

When ready, turn off the heat and let the dish rest - covered - for 10 minutes. Remove the dried limes before serving.

6. Serve it with plain basmati rice or sprinkle some infused saffron water on the rice before serving.

Last week: Refugee stories – A Friday feast at Salahuddin’s

Over the last year, HARIS COUSSIDIS worked with 17 refugee home cooks, representing 11 countries (Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar) to produce and test 55 family recipes, to form the foundation of the cookbook ‘A Taste From Home’.

‘A Taste From Home’ is available at RM60 only at UNHCR, and will soon be made available for sale at selected bookstores. Contact UNHCR at 03-2118 4986 or email: [email protected] for a copy.

All proceeds will go towards the welfare and medical emergency assistance for refugees in Malaysia.