Zoom-Koom (Burkinabe Millet and Ginger Drink)

Instructions

1. Whisk the millet flour with 250 ml (1 cup) of cold water until smooth. Bring 750 ml (3 cups) of water to a boil in a pot, whisk in the millet mixture and cook over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, whisking often, until you have a thin, smooth gruel with no raw flour taste. Let it cool for 30 minutes.
2. Pour 125 ml (1/2 cup) of hot water over the grated ginger and steep for 10 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing hard on the ginger, and discard the pulp.
3. If using tamarind paste, stir it into 60 ml (1/4 cup) of warm water until dissolved, then strain out any seeds or fibers.
4. Whisk the ginger liquid, tamarind or lemon juice, sugar and salt into the cooled gruel. Add up to 375 ml (1 1/2 cups) of cold water, a little at a time, until the drink is as thick as you like.
5. Chill for at least 2 hours. Whisk well, taste and adjust, then serve over ice.

Tips

• Millet flour is sold at health food stores and African and Indian grocers. Sorghum flour works too. Fine cornmeal makes a milder drink, though it tastes less nutty.
• Adjust at the end: more lemon or tamarind for sourness, more ginger for fire, more sugar for sweetness. The drink thickens in the fridge, so thin it with cold water and whisk before serving.