One of Choi’s first chef jobs was at an L.A. country club where he made New England clam chowder every Friday. This lighter, Asian-inflected version includes green curry paste, coconut milk and plenty of lime juice.

Ingredients

• 1 small baking potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 4 ounces pancetta or bacon, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced fennel
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons thai green curry paste
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 (13-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 dozen manila or littleneck clams
• 3 cups chopped clams with their juices
• kosher salt
• freshly ground pepper
• cilantro sprigs, for garnish
• thai basil and rau ram (vietnamese coriander), for garnish

Directions

1. Cook the potato in a medium saucepan of salted boiling water just until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain.
2. In a large saucepan, cook the pancetta over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until light golden, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the fennel, garlic and green curry paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 minute. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add the coconut milk and lime juice and return to a simmer. Add the potato, Manila clams and the chopped clams and their juices. Cover and cook until the Manila clams open, 5 to 7 minutes. Discard any clams that do not open. Season the chowder with salt and pepper. Garnish with cilantro, basil and rau ram and serve warm.