Assorted vegetables in a clear sauce

Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients:

2 md Turnips
2 sm Carrots
4 Green onions
3 Fresh asparagus spears
1/2 c Button mushrooms
1/2 c Peeled straw mushrooms
8 Baby sweet corn
8 Water chestnuts
1/2 ts Fresh ginger root
1 tb Tientsin preserved Vegetable
2 tb Peanut oil
2 c Chicken stock
1 ts Salt
1 pn Sugar Cornstarch paste
1 tb Chicken fat
1/2 c Crab meat or shelled

Instructions:

Shrimp (opt) Preparation: Peel turnips & carrots. Use melon scoop to cut turnips into large balls. Slice carrots 1/2" thick; then with paring knife cut 4 evenly spaced notches into rim of each slice (don't cut into center core). Carrots should look like little flowers. Parboil turnip & carrots in stock until barely tender. Remove from stock & plunge pieces into cold water; drain. Cut onions asparagus & baby corn into 1 1/2" pieces. Mince together fresh ginger root & Tientsin preserved vegetable. Insmall pot or beaker on medium heat render pieces of chicken fat. Stir-frying: Add peanut oil to hot wok. When it begins to smoke briskly fry crab meat or shrimp for 1 minute. Add asparagus baby corn mushrooms & water chestnuts stir-frying until they are hot. Add ginger mixture then onions. Stir-fry another 30 seconds. Add 1/2 stock salt & sugar; bring to boil. Add turnips & carrots. Cover & reduce heat; simmer for 5 minutes. Uncover push ingredients out of liquid & dribble in cornstarch paste to thicken slightly. Stir liquid to prevent lumping while it thickens to a thick soup. Recombine then mix in chicken oil. Remove to serving platter.