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1
Puree one fourth of tomatoes with ginger in a food processor until smooth, about 2 minutes.
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2
Transfer to a small heavy saucepan and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.
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3
Clean processor thoroughly, then puree remaining tomatoes in batches with chiles, salt, and sugar until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.
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4
Transfer to a bowl and stir in cooked tomato ginger puree.
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5
Line a large sieve with stacked cheesecloth squares and set over a deep nonreactive pot or a large clean bucket.
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6
Carefully pour puree into center of cheesecloth.
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7
Gather sides of cheesecloth up over puree to form a large sack and tie sides together securely with string as close to puree as possible but without squeezing puree.
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8
Tie sack to a wooden spoon longer than diameter of pot and remove sieve.
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9
Set spoon across top of pot, suspending sack inside pot and leaving a couple of inches underneath sack so that it will not sit in any tomato water that accumulates.
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10
(Alternatively, transfer tomato water to another container as it accumulates.)
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11
Let sack hang 4 hours at room temperature.
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12
Bring 1 cup water to a boil in a 7- to 8-quart heavy pot.
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13
Add clams and cook, covered, over moderately high heat, until clams are opened wide, stirring and checking frequently after 6 minutes and transferring clams as opened to a bowl.
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14
(Discard any clams that have not opened after 10 minutes.)
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15
When cool enough to handle, shuck clams.
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16
Discard cheesecloth sack and its contents without squeezing.
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17
Pour tomato water through large sieve lined with a dampened paper towel into a bowl.
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18
Measure out 4 cups tomato water and reserve remainder for another use.
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19
Transfer 1/2 cup tomato water to a small saucepan, then sprinkle with gelatin and let soften 1 minute.
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20
Heat over low heat, stirring, just until gelatin is dissolved, then stir into remaining 31/2 cups tomato water.
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21
Arrange glasses on trays and put 1 or 2 cilantro leaves in each, then a clam, and then 1 or 2 more cilantro leaves.
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22
Add about 1 tablespoon tomato water to each glass (stir water each time so gelatin remains well distributed) and chill, loosely covered with plastic wrap, at least 3 hours.
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23
(Gelatin will be thickened but not set; it needs to slide easily out of glass.)
