Bottled GiaB

Semolina Visits the Tropics

A cake like no other

Hello GiaB community,

It’s starting to feel as warm as toast where I am. The sunny colours of blooming mustard fields and budding mango trees are providing some much-needed respite during these trying times. It probably sounds like a run-of-the-mill scene from a typical South Asian movie, but the countryside is incredibly blessed with all of its natural beauty. Speaking of movies, the GiaB team has picked some of the best responses to Victor’s Cinema prompt.

Editors’ Picks for GiaB Prompt #13

Once again, the talented writers of Genius in a Bottle have responded brilliantly to the 13th prompted writing challenge. Cinema appeals to people from all walks of life. As a teenager, my favourite place to hang out with family and friends was the drive-in cinema (I still remember the sandwiches that were sold there). Movies like Seven Years in Tibet made a lasting impression and I dreamed of conquering the summit! Sit back, relax and let AJ Krow’s The Audition Didn’t Go As Planned, Samantha Lazar’s Goodbye to E.T., Chloe Pauline Hawes’ Heroine Lost, and Francesca Lembregts’ Rediscovery entertain you this week.

Announcing GiaB Prompt #14

Experiences matter and each is unique. The GiaB team is eagerly waiting for you to share yours with Genius in a Bottle. Victor has announced the theme for the 14th prompted writing challenge along with guidelines for submission. Surprise us with your stories!

Savouring Life with Shaheena

The milky voice of the local muezzin caressed the pre-dawn mist. Sparks bellowed above the lazy neighbourhood. A light shower cleansed the empty streets. A steep path encircling my parents’ block collected trainer prints. A rooster on one of the rooftops across the street heralded daybreak.

A poultry trader sped to the farmer’s market eager to catch the morning rush. Broilers dangled dangerously close to the spokes on either side of his bicycle. A flight of steps in an unfinished block of flats would have been ready if it wasn’t for the early morning drizzle. Crows pecked on crumbs tossed by the watchman near the cement mixer.

Palm fruits travelled first class in the boot of a neighbour’s sedan. Palm fruit pancakes is on the menu for the family of 7. Rolling pins worked the hardest at this time of day. An extra pair of deft hands transformed bags of semolina into bowls of porridge for hungry baby taxi drivers.

The aroma of cardamom-infused semolina took me back 5 years. I distributed homemade semolina muffins among volunteers of a children’s get-together. The ladies graciously accepted my token of appreciation, but secretly wished I hadn’t bothered.

I didn’t taste the muffin myself (which was a mistake). But I could tell from the grim expression on the volunteers’ faces that something about it was amiss. The pan of sugar syrup forgotten on the hob put an end to my misery (the ladies were mum about the muffins out of professional courtesy). Still, a badly wounded pride was mine to nurse.

Determined to put this culinary faux pas behind me, I whipped up a batch of semolina bars after breakfast. With a heavy heart, I unfriended yogurt from the list of ingredients. Green cardamoms, too, reluctantly agreed to a casual leave. The delicate shoulders of sliced pineapple were now burdened with the task of elevating my cake to another degree of sumptuousness.

Bite-sized bars of pineapple-scented semolina peeped through baking parchment wrappers sweating ghee. Like the sweets displayed at supermarket checkouts, the semolina bars were singing my name!

Until next time, keep calm and bake some semolina muffins.

On behalf of the GiaB team,

Shaheena Chowdhury