Slow-Steamed Beef Essence Tea

Why people make this brew

Fussy eating in children worries every family. When a child holds food in their mouth without swallowing, eats at a glacial pace, refuses vegetables, or simply has no interest in meals, the long-term concern is uneven nutrition — particularly deficiencies in minerals like zinc, iron and magnesium that are vital for growth and development. Research has found that zinc deficiency can specifically impair taste perception: zinc is needed to maintain the taste bud cells on the tongue, and when it is lacking, taste sensations become blunted, which in turn reduces appetite further. Beef is one of the richest dietary sources of zinc, and is specifically regarded in Cantonese food therapy as the meat most associated with strengthening the spleen and stomach. This slow-steamed beef essence tea — where minced beef is soaked in cold water, then double-boiled until a golden, savoury essence is extracted — is a time-honoured way of getting concentrated nourishment into small children who may refuse solid food.