Kombo is more than just South Sudanese meal. For some in Melbourne, it’s been a lifeline

Monica Majak carries a five-kilogram slab of beef — the size of a bowling ball — and sets it to boil inside a pot that’s so large it requires two burners.

Her friends join her to strip hundreds of large bean leaves, before chopping okra.

They add a dash of spices, a sizeable dollop of peanut butter and salt to the meat mix, and after stirring it all together they shut the lid.

A few minutes later, Ms Majak grabs a spoon for a quick taste test.

“Yes, it’s perfect,” she says with a grin.

The end result is kombo, a traditional dish from South Sudan that is served with an injera flatbread and is best eaten with your hands.

The large batch is quickly packed into containers and will be delivered from this Sunshine West kitchen to households…