One of my fondest memories of my dad is his food--cooking in the kitchen with him, and sharing his wonderful meals at his big old wooden table. He was a great cook and an uncompromising gourmand. He loved to make elaborate brunches and dinners for guests and for family. He accepted my 16 years of vegetarianism with thinly veiled resignation--his opinion being that I was missing out on all the good stuff--but he always managed to invent an excellent veggie dish for me when I came home to visit. His mushroom enchiladas, especially, stick out in my mind.

His waffles were legendary, and we would clamor for them. He used a mix, but his came out better than anyone else's even if they used the same ingredients. I have no idea why.

His hot and sour soup was transcendent. I knew even then that it wasn't vegetarian, but I adhered to the belief that if I didn't know there was chicken stock in it, I wasn't cheating.

I never learned his recipe, but I don't think he used one, really. He would stand over the pot and taste it, tweaking the seasonings until they met his approval. The key, he said, was the balance of hotness and sourness. "You know it's right when you break out into a gentle sweat at your temples," he said.

He's gone now, but today I brought out his Chinese soup bowls and soup spoons and tried to see what I could do to honor his memory. I'm not there yet, but I think I did pretty well.

HOT AND SOUR SOUP
2 Tbs. cornstarch
4 Tbs. water
2 Tbs. soy sauce
3 Tbs. rice vinegar
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 hot red chili, minced
1 egg
2 Tbs. peanut oil
1 small to medium onion, coarsely chopped
a handful or two of shredded cabbage
4 c. chicken stock
2 dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated and sliced thin
a handful of matchstick-cut tofu
ground white pepper to taste

Whisk the cornstarch with the water until it forms a smooth paste. Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, black pepper, and chili. Mix together.
Break the egg into a separate bowl and beat well.
Heat the oil in a soup pot and fry the onion and cabbage for a few minutes, until tender. Stir in the stock, mushrooms, and tofu and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.
Pour the cornstarch mixture into the soup and cook, stirring, until it thickens.
As you stir the soup in a circular motion, drizzle the egg in to create thin threads.
With the heat on low to keep the soup warm, season with white pepper, tasting, until you reach the perfect balance. Cook a couple more minutes, then remove from heat and serve.

Needing something to go with my soup, I adapted this from a 1979 Southern Living cookbook. Nothing authentic about it, but it's delicious.

CHINESE BAKED CHICKEN
a 3-lb. chicken, cut up
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/8 c. honey
1 large clove of garlic, minced
a 1/2-inch chunk of ginger, minced
1/2 tsp. dry mustard

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the chicken in a glass oven dish, skin side down. Bake, covered, 1 hour.
Mix soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger, and mustard.
Remove chicken from oven. Pour off 2/3 of the drippings. Pour soy sauce mixture over chicken. Bake, covered, 30 minutes.
Turn the chicken and baste well. Bake, uncovered, basting once more, until browned and glazed.