Early Summer Salad of Asparagus, Carrot and Mangetout

This salad awaits the arrival of local asparagus, but when it comes into season it should almost be eaten daily. So here is a Japanese version which works very well as an accompaniment to robata dishes. All the vegetables are steamed separately for a few minutes, and it is very important to have a bowl of iced water to hand for instant cooling and to retain colour.