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8 ways to turn your office into the United Nations

It’s A Taste of Harmony time. Gather co-workers to feast on a potluck of dishes from everyone’s diverse cultural backgrounds. To safeguard against an over-supply of sausage rolls skewered with an Aussie flag, we have eight ideas to get you hungry. Make poutine, not war.

Mini pork banh mi

Source: Murdoch Books

If Koreans do two things better than anyone else, it’s embracing pop music and getting into a pickle. These beef bulgogi sliders get a whack of pickled cucumber funky enough to blow the socks off Sandor Katz. Plus they’re pop-friendly, so you can horse dance à la ‘Gangnam Style’ with one hand, and hold your slider in the other.
Bulgogi-Sliders.jpg
Bulgogi sliders
What can’t be solved over a colossal plate of Canada’s iconic poutine? A holy trinity of calorific proportions, this snack involves fries topped with cheese curds, all languishing in a liberal ladleful of gravy.
Fries with gravy and cheese curds (poutine)
Fries with gravy and cheese curds Source: Chris Chen
Even in the most obscure country towns of Australia, frying away in the local Chinese restaurant will be some incarnation of prawn toast. Along with its sweet cousin, deep-fried ice-cream, no food has done more for Australian-Chinese relations. We salute you, prawn toast.
Prawn toasts with chilli and coriander dipping sauce
Prawn toasts Source: Feast magazine
Slathered in a spice-laden paste and set aside for a couple of hours to marinate, then slow-cooked for a few more, these soulful Kashmiri shanks teach us that patience wins out over haste when it comes to kitchen diplomacy.
Lamb-shanks.jpg
Kashmiri lamb shanks
Regardless of circumstance, a slab of cake offered in peace is going to bring the sun out. This Jamaican ginger cake gets some Caribbean-style swagger with a hit of spices and a burnt caramel flavour courtesy of a glug of black strap molasses.
Jamaican ginger cake
Jamaican ginger cake Source: Brett Stevens
If ever a sandwich could pose as a secretary general of lunch it’s got to be banh mi. This unifying Vietnamese roll slides into mini burger potential and transcends global quandaries with lashings of pâté and delicious pork.
Mini pork banh mi
Source: Murdoch Books
Proving you only need a few simple ingredients to create harmony, these Lebanese chicken wings (jawaneh) sit firmly in the bring-a-plate genre of cooking and their near-effortless method is completely disguised under a handful of coriander, a squeeze of lemon juice and a good dose of garlic.
Chicken wings with coriander, garlic and lemon
Chicken wings with coriander, garlic and lemon Source: Mark Roper
But wait, that’s not harmonious. It is when the invitation is offered along with a plate of these East African flatbreads, or keema chapati. Golden parcels loaded with aromatic spiced lamb are pan-fried in ghee and that can only mean one thing: new friends.
East African stuffed flatbread (keema chapati)
East African stuffed flatbread Source: SBS Food
For more information, visit A Taste of Harmony.

Looking for more dishes to instigate a bit of harmony? Check out our most popular recipes here.

If you're yearning for a different taste sensation: 

50 shades of pomegranate

14 ways to restart the New Year with a Lunar bang

Dishes that say ‘I love you’ (and don’t involve chocolate)


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SBS Food is a 24/7 foodie channel for all Australians, with a focus on simple, authentic and everyday food inspiration from cultures everywhere. NSW stream only. Read more about SBS Food
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SBS Food is a 24/7 foodie channel for all Australians, with a focus on simple, authentic and everyday food inspiration from cultures everywhere. NSW stream only.
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