Assorted vegetables in a clear sauce

1. Preparation: peel turnips & carrots.
2. Use melon scoop to cut turnips into large balls.
3. Slice carrots ½" thick; then with paring knife, cut 4 evenly spaced notches into rim of each slice (don"t cut into center core).
4. Carrots should look like little flowers.
5. Parboili turnip & carrots in stock until barely tender.
6. Remove from stock & plunge pieces into cold water; drain.
7. Cut onions, asparagus & baby corn into 1 ½" pieces.
8. Mincei together fresh ginger root & tientsin preserved vegetable.
9. 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.
10. Add asparagus, baby corn, mushrooms & water chestnuts, stir-frying until they are hot. Add ginger mixture, then onions.
11. Stiri-fry another 30 seconds.
12. Add ½ stock, salt & sugar; bring to boil.
13. Add turnips & carrots.
14. Cover & reduce heat; simmer for 5 minutes.
15. Uncover, push ingredients out of liquid, & dribble in cornstarch paste to thicken slightly.
16. Stir liquid to prevent lumping while it thickens to a thick soup.
17. Recombine, then mix in chicken oil.
18. Remove to serving platter.