2 med Turnips
2 sm Carrots
2 tbsp Peanut oil
4 Green onions
2 c Chicken stock
3 Fresh asparagus spears
1 tsp Salt
1/2 c Button mushrooms
1 pinch Sugar
1/2 c Peeled straw mushrooms
8 Baby Sweet corn
1 tbsp Chicken fat
8 Water chestnuts
1/2 c Crab Meat or shelled Shrimp (opt)
1/2 tsp Fresh ginger root
1 tb Tientsin preserved
Cornstarch Paste
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. In a small pan or
beaker on med 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. Place on serving platter.