West Virginia-born restaurateur and chef William Dissen and his wife Jenny, a native of India who works in engagement and partnerships for the NC Institute of Climate Studies, describe themselves and their children as a multi-cultural family; one that loves to blend Appalachian cooking traditions of the South with the distinct food and flavors of India.
A renowned chef and culinary diplomat, published author, and early pioneer of the farm-to-table and ocean sustainability movements in the Appalachia region, Dissen was awarded “Green Chef of the Year” two years in a row by FORTUNE Magazine. In 2021, he faced off and beat Gordon Ramsay on National Geographic, landing him the title “Most sustainable chef in the world.” He is an active board member on the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, a Seafood Watch Ambassador and a Blue-Ribbon Taskforce Member for Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Dissen currently owns three high-end farm-to-table restaurant concepts: The Market Place in Asheville, N.C., Billy D’s Fried Chicken at The North Carolina Zoo, and Haymaker in uptown Charlotte, N.C. All his concepts focus on local Appalachian ingredients from farms and producers within 100 miles from the restaurants – mountain trout, Carolina shrimp, farmstead cheeses, among many others – carefully prepared using global flavors and techniques learned through his extensive travels, and influenced by his wife’s Indian heritage.
One ingredient that straddles both Indian and Southern cuisines is okra, and Dissen has found many ways to serve it at his restaurants. “Okra is one of the key ingredients in the South, and in the summertime, folks eat okra in everything. Since it isn’t a year-round vegetable, we spend a lot of time preserving and pickling okra when it’s in season,” he says.
A traditional Southern dish that showcases the vegetable is called Limpin’ Susan, typically made with onion, garlic, sauteed okra and rice, sometimes finished with bacon and shrimp. At The Market Place, Dissen uses Carolina Gold rice in the preparation and serves it with pan roasted sunburst trout and strips of crispy fried okra.
“After learning from my wife’s family, I now have a love for layering flavor, and it’s become a part of the way I cook,” says Dissen. “I find a lot of inspiration from Indian food from how we cook at home. Taking global ideas and distilling them down into my style of cooking keeps me interested and evolves my craft. As a chef, you’re a teacher – you’re teaching other cooks your recipes and your flavors. So, learning new ideas, new flavors, and new techniques helps me and my team grow and evolve in the kitchen.”
In typical Indian cooking, masala is a core ingredient in most every dish. “But masala just means a blend of spices that are ground together to use as a base to build flavor,” says Dissen. “Masala is the base for any good curry dish. Typically, when you’re making curry, you begin by putting oil into the pan, adding your base ingredients like onion and ginger, and then adding in your spices. Vagar is the Gujarati word to temper spices in hot oil, which builds the fragrance and the flavor in a dish. This layering of flavor is something that is found in cuisines across the world, but it’s a traditional Indian style of cooking.”
One of the dishes he learned from his Indian mother-in-law is called Bhindi Masala, a curry of sautéed okra. “There are many ways to make it, but the way I make it is very summery, mixing okra, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, lime juice, and cilantro,” says Dissen. “I love to cook it as a nice, simple side dish. You can also turn it into a meal by serving it with jasmine rice, a scoop of fresh Greek yogurt or Indian-style raita, a lot of fresh cilantro, and a wedge of lime. It’s a clean, healthy lunch or summer dinner.”
William Dissen’s Bhindi Masala
1 lb. fresh okra
2 yellow onions, sliced thin
1 tsp. garlic, minced
2 plum tomatoes, diced medium
1/4 cup olive oil
3⁄4 tsp. Cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. Garam Masala
Salt and pepper to taste
Wash okra and slice off stem end. Slice into rings 1⁄4” thick. In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium high heat and add the onions. Cook until translucent. Stir in all of the spices except the garam masala, and sauté for about 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant. Stir in the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Stir in the tomatoes and cook for one minute. Add the okra and allow to cook for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and cover the pan and allow to cook for an additional 5-8 minutes. Remove from the heat & stir in the salt, pepper, and garam masala to taste. Serve with yogurt, lime wedges, and fresh roti bread.
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