Wine-Explosion Vegetable Chowder

Most of the Chinese soups we find in the West are the clear, thin sort called tong in Chinese. Here is a different soup altogether. Known as keng, or chowder in English, it is a thick, rich, hearty brew that in ancient north China comprised the main part of a meal. What Confucius ate six nights of the week was probably a gung.

• This particular gung is a New World soup, full of the colors and flavors of tomatoes, com, and white mushroo