KOTA KINABALU: At just 19, Danial Jauhari Sidar is already making waves in the culinary world. The Kota Kinabalu native, a final-year Culinary Arts student at Keningau Vocational College (KVC), recently won the Reimagine Waste competition, organised by Catalyst of Change Aseab. His winning creation? A spiced crispy and flavourful serunding(floss) made from discarded fish scales and scrap.
The competition, which encourages participants to transform waste materials into valuable products, saw Danial emerge as one of two winners, sharing the top spot with Maria Iorizel O. Tengco from the Philippines. Both scored an impressive 88.
5%, earning a prize of US$50 (about RM200). But for Danial, the competition was never about the cash prize. Danial Jauhari Sidar’s Serunding Borneo, a product he made from discarded fish scales and waste.
“This was more than just a competition for me. It was about finding solutions, reducing waste, and showing that even discarded ingredients can have value,” he said in an interview on Friday (March 14). Danial’s award-winning dish was inspired by an issue he noticed in his culinary arts workshop.
“Fish waste, particularly scales and leftover flesh, was often discarded due to its strong odour and tendency to clog sinks. "Through discussions with dining hall staff and personal experimentation, I realised there was a way to repurpose these scraps into a nutritious and delicious dish,” he explained. Using his knowledge of food preparation, he fir.
