CHEF Norman Musa is clocking up hundreds of miles on his tour of Malaysia in search of the most famed regional street food.
Two-thirds of the way through his trip and he has already covered eleven of Malaysia’s thirteen states, with the final two – Sabah and Sarawak in Malaysian Borneo – scheduled for this week.
The information Norman is gathering about the dishes, stalls and their owners will appear in his next book
“I’ve learnt so much more myself about the rich diversity and heritage of my country’s food,” says Norman, “and met such great personalities along the way; the chefs and ‘aunties’ behind the food who work tirelessly every day to serve the best of a particular dish. Like my late mum, they are the unsung heroes who make Malaysian food so exciting and they're why I’m passionate about it.”
The information Norman is gathering about the dishes, stalls and their owners will appear in his next book. People like Mastura who runs a fabulous roadside restaurant serving up ‘Nasi Kerabu’, a famous dish in northern and central Eastern parts of the country made of rice dyed blue by the natural extract of pea flowers and served with a sprinkling of grated roasted coconut. Or Pakabu who serves up the most amazing roti from his unassuming roadside restaurant north of Kuala Terengganu.
Musa is known as a TV personality in Malaysia, where his appearances include Master Chef Malaysia. He's been stopped regularly on the trip for photographs, and has organised meet-ups with some of his 50,000-plus Facebook fans along the route. A big finale 'Get Together with Chef Norman Musa' is planned for 28 January in the capital Kuala Lumpur.
Business partner Andy Spracklen and Facebook fan-now-assistant Louise Cooper are accompanying the chef, along with his driver Zuhhad Salleh. They are tweeting, blogging, photographing and eating their way around the country.
Norman is also meeting business contacts during his trip and gaining inspiration for his Ning restaurants back in the UK. He returns early February 2013.
Get the road trip updates on Twitter @itsaNingthing.
Find out more about Ning, including details of current offers, at our Ning pages.
Watch Norman discovering a Malaysian brunch.
The Ning shop sells Malaysian store cupboard essentials, cookbooks, gift vouchers and cookery lessons. If you're shopping for a foodie or a curry lover, you'll find plenty of ideas here.
Go and have a look round in person if you're nearby (Ning is on Oldham Street, Manchester city centre) or visit the Ning online shop for a wider choice of goods.
Ning restaurant is giving away Malaysian recipe cards. To get the six free recipe cards, just click here.
