For the syrup
In a bowl, mix the semolinas with the milk and yoghurt and leave for 30 minutes to rise. Stir 2-3 times. Then add the sugar, baking powder, soda, salt and mastic that you previously ground in two tablespoons of sugar so that it does not stick. Mix with a wooden spoon so that the ingredients bind.
Butter and flour a rectangular baking dish (25x45cm) and pour in the batter. Bake at 175ο C for 45 minutes. Take out from the oven and cut it into diamond shaped pieces and then put back in the oven for 15 minutes more.
In the meantime, prepare the syrup. Put all the ingredients in a pot and boil for 10-15 minutes. Both the cake and the syrup must be hot when you pour the syrup on top. Cover the baking dish with a moist towel. As soon as the steam from the syrup has dissipated, remove the towel and let the samali dry. Serve by itself or with whipped cream or ice cream.
The food of the working class districts, the cuisine of the imperial palace and the finest of ingredients that came to the Bosporus from the ends of the earth were the basis of Constantinople recipes that, more than any other, influenced the flavour and very identity of traditional Greek cooking.