Norman Musa is a self-taught Malaysian chef who has created a successful restaurant career in Britain based on forays to his home country. His Ning restaurants in Manchester and York specialise in Malay cuisine, with a little Thai, Chinese and Indian influence.
Musa has quite a following of female fans on Facebook, and they share recipes and swap restaurant recommendations. He recently hosted a dinner in Kuala Lumpur for 20 fans (chosen from hundreds who took part in a contest), who did not leave him alone for a moment.
His friendly manner and passion for Malaysian food play a key role in attracting this following. When he is not talking about food or cooking, he is eating. On a recent trip to Malaysia, he documented his food forays from his hometown of Penang to the isle of Redang on Facebook.
The 38-year-old's curiosity about food reflects a wider curiosity about life. In the many cooking classes and food festival demonstrations he conducts (his weekends are booked until October) he draws on the history, diversity and culture of Malaysian food.
'The more I learn about our food, the more passionate I get, and I learn about my roots,' he says.
He also tells the story of each dish, such the one about Kapitan Curry, a dish favoured by ships' captains who sailed into Melaka centuries ago.