Norman Musa: Going with the foodie flow

Most tourists visiting the country profess a love for Malaysian food (and a trip to Malaysia is never complete until you’ve gone to Penang, widely considered the country’s food haven). But Malaysian food has been relatively unsung in the United Kingdom, overshadowed by better-known Asian cuisines such as Thai, Indian, and Chinese. But finally, the underrated cookery of the former British colony is having its moment in the sun, and it’s thanks in no small part to chefs like Norman Musa, who is a renowned chef and founder of Ning, a Malaysian cuisine restaurant in Manchester.

Based mostly in Birmingham, Manchester, and London, Norman is one of the most exciting and engaging chefs in the UK and also the official food ambassador for Kuala Lumpur. So it was truly a stroke of luck that I had the opportunity to meet and interview him in person when Norman hosted a Buka Puasa feast at the Pullman KLCC Hotel during the recent month of Ramadan. The charming and affable chef spoke about his humble beginnings, love for food, and his rise to fame in promoting Malaysian cuisine. Norman, born in Butterworth (on Penang state’s mainland), was exposed to food and the joys of cooking from early years, as his family is a self-proclaimed foodie family.

Raise with a love of food

“My parents were in the food industry,” he explained. “They ran a canteen, and that love for food apparently rubbed off on us because all three of their kids are now involved in the food industry in one way or another. My older sister runs a home bakery – something that started out as a hobby but turned into business when she started getting orders.

My younger brother is a chef offshore.” Norman went on to say, “Growing up, we didn’t think we’d be involved in the food industry, but destiny has led us to where we are today so we can continue with the food legacy our parents started.”

The Penangite’s love affair with food and cooking took root when he was about 10 years old – an age where most boys are content playing outdoors – and this affair doesn’t seem to end anytime soon. It started innocently enough. Like most parents, Norman’s were reluctant to permit their children to be in the kitchen during meal preparation or to get involved in the cooking process.

“My mum wouldn’t allow me in the kitchen too because she didn’t want me to get in her way or hurt myself, but I was persistent,” he recalled. “I would hover by the kitchen and watch her cook, and I think that drew me in. Watching her cook was the most intriguing and exciting thing for me at that age and it is something I still remember so vividly. I think parents should let their children in the kitchen and allow them to do simple stuff as it not only makes cooking a fun affair for the family but it is also an education of sorts.”

The 42-year-old chef also added that being in the kitchen allowed him to absorb the experience and joys of cooking while spending time with his mum and that was the catalyst for him in pursuing a career in the culinary industry. Despite his interest in cooking, however, Norman ended up working as a Quantity Surveyor for 10 years before giving it up to pursue his calling.

A change of course

In 1994, he moved to the UK to further his studies, not knowing that the move would ultimately change his life in ways he couldn’t have imagined. With an interest in architecture, he enrolled at the University of Portsmouth for an architecture course but was given a place in the quantity surveying course instead. Although he had no clue what quantity surveying was, he was determined to have a degree, so he took it up as a way of challenging himself and excelled at it when he was a top student in his class during the second year.

Upon completion of his three-year course, Norman was due to return to Malaysia, but things didn’t go to plan when the Asian Financial Crisis hit in 1997. He was advised to stay in the UK if he wanted to land a job as times were hard in Malaysia and jobs were much harder to come by there. Norman who worked as a Quantity Surveyor first in Bournemouth and then London, decided to make London his home for a while, but he was overcome by a feeling of homesickness. To offset that feeling, he decided to cook.

Culinary therapy

“For me, food played a dual role because it kept the homesickness at bay and it also let me have a good meal while introducing Malaysian cuisine to my friends. While I remembered the method and the ingredients my mum used, I had trouble with the measurements so I used to call her for assistance.

It didn’t strike me then but as I think back to that period, my mum was actually passing down her recipes to me over phone calls. Those calls not only honed my cooking skills and put me on the culinary map, but they also strengthened my bond with her.

It’s unfortunate that my parents aren’t around anymore, especially my mum, but I have fond memories of my parents and they’re really centred on food and cooking – which is now central to my own life,” he said with a bittersweet smile.

With such a passion for his native food and having been mentored in his cooking skills by his mum and with the encouragement of his friends, over time, Norman realised he was more into cooking than calculating building and engineering costs as a quantity surveyor. So despite having a good, secure job in Manchester, in 2006, he took the plunge and tendered his resignation.

Risk and reward

“I still remember the day I handed in my resignation – it wasn’t a pleasant experience. My boss laughed at me when I told him of my plans to open up a restaurant. He, in fact, told me that I would come back asking for my old job.

Unwilling to let his comments discourage me, I went ahead with my plans. Although I didn’t set out to prove my boss wrong, it does feel good to have silenced my biggest critic,” said Norman, who was awarded the Young Asian & Oriental Chef of the Year at the Asian Curry Awards in 2012.

Talking about Ning Restaurant in Manchester, Norman explained that it is a casual-fine dining restaurant that champions Malaysian cuisine, but with a twist to suit the local palate. When he first opened his restaurant, Norman explained, the first year was the hardest because the restaurant wasn’t as busy as he hoped it would be.

Not wanting the restaurant or his efforts to come to naught, he started a cookery class at the restaurant to attract the crowd, as well as to clear the misconception that Malaysian and Thai foods are the same. To date, the cookery class has seen more than 5,000 participants. He also tweaked the items to suit the local flavours. His efforts paid off and today, Ning is a success.

“I called it Ning because I wanted this restaurant to be different from other Malaysian restaurants in UK that are named after flowers. Ning is actually a musical note of the gamelan – which is a traditional instrumental ensemble of the region, typically including many bronze percussion instruments,” he explained. He also pointed out that it is only when you leave your home country that you start to appreciate many of its unique attributes such as food, music, culture, and tradition.

Norman credits Ning’s success to his mother who instilled in him the importance of being passionate in doing things and also to his ability to carefully balance authenticity with contemporary touches. His style and approach towards cooking is also unique. Although his food is characterised by colour, simplicity, freshness, quality, and style, flavours are important and elemental in awakening the primary senses. To experience food, he claims, one must eat with the eyes first, then draw in the aroma, and finally taste the food.

Food is Norman’s love and driven by his mother’s recipes and passion for food, it’ll be a long time before his fondness for food fizzles. His mum used to say: “Passion is very important. You must have a passion for doing what you are doing and you also need to respect the ingredients.” With such wise words ringing in Norman’s ears, coupled with his passion for showcasing Malaysian cuisine in the UK and around the world, Norman is a rising star and will be one to watch.

This article was originally published in Senses of Malaysia (Nov/Dec 2016).