Stir-fried vegetables

Soak the wood ear mushroom 30 minutes; it swells a great deal.

Bring a pot of water to a boil on high.

Cut the asparagus beans into 2 inch pieces, the carrot into thin diamond slices and the celery diagonally.

Rinse the frozen edamame in water a few minutes to defrost.

Add 1 teaspoon of salt and a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil to the boiling water.

Blanch the asparagus beans one and a half minutes; underblanched they taste grassy. Remove and set aside.

Blanch the carrot, celery and wood ear mushroom 40 seconds and remove. The edamame is already cooked and needs no blanching.

Combine the edamame with the other vegetables but keep the yard beans separate, as they go into the wok first. Refrigerate until the next day.

Turn the heat to low and add a drizzle of cooking oil.

Add garlic slices and red dried chilies and stir 30 seconds.

Add the yard beans and a teaspoon of salt and saute a couple of minutes, since they take a long time to absorb salt.

Add the rest of the vegetables and keep stirring over medium heat a few minutes, just to heat them through.

Pour in some cornstarch water so the seasoning and garlic cling to the vegetables, and give it a final toss.