In the mood for food

Young Chang

Ever wanted to jump into the mind of a chef and learn just how they

choose what to feature, out of a zillion dishes, at a food festival?

If you have, the answers prove there’s a method to the madness. Area

chefs participating in the 10th annual Summer Food and Wine Festival,

hosted by South Coast Plaza, say they prize freshness and health above

even the coolest flavors.

With almost 20 restaurants putting out their trademark best Thursday

for visitors to sample along with wines and beers, the Food and Wine

Festival looks like it’ll be a mini-Taste of Costa Mesa packed into a

mall.

The entrees at the event, which benefits Second Harvest Food Bank of

Orange County and Someone Cares Soup Kitchen, will jump the cuisine

spectrum from Asian to Italian to more Italian to even fusion.

Arun Puri, executive chef at Royal Khyber Fine Indian Cuisine, said he

chose just two items to highlight at the food gala: the Karahi chicken

and the basmati rice pilaf.

“We wanted to, No. 1, present the guests our flavorful and nutritious

entrees. Incidentally, this is one of the most popular dishes in the

restaurant,” Puri said, of the chicken.

Made with the chef’s own Karahi sauce, the dish is healthful because

there’s hardly anything that goes in it to make it unhealthful. First, he

sautes freshly chopped garlic in virgin olive oil that has been heated.

He adds roughly ground coriander seeds and dried red chili peppers before

adding fresh green cilantro, chili and fresh ginger.

Puri then reddens the whole concoction with a puree of skinless, fresh

tomatoes and cooks the mixture for 45 minutes.

“That’s the basic sauce,” he said. “We put in chunks of white chicken

breast after the chicken is cooked, and we finish it with ground

fenugreek, a very healthy Indian herb that has many therapeutical

values.”

Puri tops the product with fresh cilantro and a pinch of garam

marsala, a blend of 12 spices ground together.

The basmati rice pilaf is a mix of oil, spices, onions and rice

steamed to create an “extremely pleasing aroma.”

“This makes a complete meal with the starches, the vegetables and the

meat,” Puri said.

Tom Rummel, a chef at Z’Tejas Southwestern Grill at South Coast Plaza,

is opting for the pragmatic approach.

“A lot of our appetizers don’t really work well in mass production

because most of our appetizers are fresh on the plate,” he said. “It’s

more of being able to sustain the quality and integrity of the product

over a long period of time.”

Two appetizers that do fare well in large buffet-style trays are the

crawfish crab cake, which has twice as much crawfish meat as crab meat,

and the catfish beignets, which are made of cornmeal-dusted catfish

served with spicy jalapeno dipping sauce.

“It’s farm-raised catfish that’s a top feeder, so it’s really got a

very light, flaky flavor, unlike the traditional catfish, which is a

bottom feeder,” Rummel said.

Donnie Bruyn, chef and general manager at the Back Bay Rowing and

Running Club, will feature one item -- Thai turkey salad.

“I chose it because it’s summery, oil-free, crisp, light, versatile

and easy to make,” he said.

It’s all in the sauce, he continued. A versatile and simple syrup that

can turn a family barbecue into a festive event. If you want to know

what’s in the sauce, you can probably figure it out as you taste it.

“I want everyone to go home and duplicate everything I do,” Bruyn

said.

For those who’d rather watch and learn, Bruyn, Rummel, Puri and

executive chefs from Antonello Ristorante and The Clubhouse will hold

cooking demonstrations after the festival, Friday through June 30 at

Macy’s Home Store.

If you want to pair a little alcohol with your meal, participating

wineries in the festival will include the Robert Mondavi Winery, Clos du

Bois, Gallo of Sonoma and 25 others. Breweries, including the Tustin

Brewing Co., the Steelhead Brewing Co., Karl Strauss Breweries, Firestone

Walker Brewing Co. and Bayhawk Ales, will feature samples.

Music by Zoot Suit Revue will accompany the culinary flavors with a

tonal medley of swing, big band, pop and more.

FYI

WHAT: Summer Food and Wine Festival

WHEN: 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday

WHERE: South Coast Plaza’s Crate & Barrel/Macy’s Home Store Wing, 3333

Bear St., Costa Mesa

COST: $30 to $50

CALL: (714) 435-2160