Zoom-koom

Name: Zoom-koom
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Ingredients: 100 g pearl millet flour; 1.5 l water; 40 g fresh ginger, grated; 2 tbsp tamarind paste; 120 g sugar; 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional); 100 g pineapple, blended (optional); 300 g ice (optional)

Vegetarian

A cooling Burkinabè drink of millet flour whisked into water with ginger, tamarind and sugar. Its name means 'flour water' in Mooré, and it is traditionally offered to guests and during Ramadan.

Zoom-koom is a Burkinabè cold drink from Burkina Faso, ready in about 1 hour 15 minutes and made with pearl millet flour, fresh ginger and tamarind paste. It serves 6 and is rated beginner to cook.

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Prep: 10 min
Cook: 5 min
Rest: 1 h
Total: 1 h 15 min
Serves: 6
Level: Beginner
Calories: 157

Ingredients

6 glasses

100 g Pearl millet flour (opens in a new tab)
1.5 l Water (opens in a new tab)
40 g Fresh ginger (opens in a new tab), grated
2 tbsp (35 g) Tamarind paste (opens in a new tab)Swap: Lime juice (Use 3 tbsp.)
120 g Sugar (opens in a new tab)
1 tsp (4.5 g) Vanilla extract (opens in a new tab) (optional)
100 g Pineapple (opens in a new tab), blended (optional)
300 g Ice (opens in a new tab) (optional)

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Whisk (opens in a new tab) the millet flour (opens in a new tab) into 500 ml of the water and bring it to a simmer, whisking, for 3 minutes until slightly thickened. Cool.
- 6 min
- medium heat
- Saucepan (opens in a new tab)
- Whisk (opens in a new tab)
Traditionally the flour is mixed in raw; briefly cooking it is a safer home option.
How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels
2
Step 2
Steep the grated ginger in the remaining water for 10 minutes, then strain the ginger water into the millet mixture.
- 10 min
- Sieve / strainer (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Katerina Holmes on Pexels
3
Step 3
Whisk (opens in a new tab) in the tamarind, sugar (opens in a new tab), vanilla (opens in a new tab) and pineapple (opens in a new tab). Chill for at least 1 hour; stir before serving over ice.
- 3 min

About this dish

Origin: Burkina Faso · Commonly attributedA Mossi drink; similar millet drinks are found across the Sahel.More food from Burkina Faso
Dish: Snack · Breakfast · Cold drinks
Cooking method: Boiled, Blended
Taste: sweet, sour, spicy (chilli heat), refreshing
Diet: Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat · Low-sodium · DASH-style
Without the optional extras: Alcohol-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Make-ahead · Budget-friendly
Cook more with: Pearl millet flour · Fresh ginger · Tamarind paste · Sugar
Techniques: Boiling · Simmering · Wet grinding · Emulsification

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

157 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 294 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

Protein 5%
Carbohydrate 91%
Fat 4%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	157 kcal	53 kcal
Protein	2 g	0.7 g
Carbohydrate	36.5 g	12.4 g
Net carbohydrate	35.6 g	12.1 g
Sugars	22.6 g	7.7 g
Added sugars	20 g	6.8 g
Fibre	0.9 g	0.3 g
Fat	0.8 g	0.3 g
Saturated fat	0.1 g	0 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	—	—
Sodium	8 mg	3 mg
Salt equivalent	0 g	0 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 82 mg
Calcium: 32 mg
Iron: 0.8 mg
Magnesium: 31 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): —
Vitamin C: 0 mg
Vitamin D: —
Vitamin B12: —
Folate (DFE): 8 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Optional ingredients are not included: vanilla extract, pineapple, ice.
Tamarind paste: Raw tamarind pulp (FDC 167763). Commercial concentrates vary in water content.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Taste and balance before chilling — it should be sweet, sour and peppery with ginger in equal measure.

Common mistakes

Serving it warm or unchilled; zoom-koom is meant to be ice-cold.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 2 days; the flour settles, so stir well.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 27 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sip & BlendCompare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Pearl millet flour100 g
Fresh ginger, grated40 g
Pineapple, blended (optional)100 g

Used in steps 1, 2, 3

Less sweet, dairy-free, caffeine-free or for more people — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sip & Blend

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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