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.
“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 first boils and fries the fish scales until crispy, then crushes and sautés them with ginger flower and anchovies.
He enhances the dish with tuhau, a native Sabah ingredient known for its bold aroma and tangy taste.
“Of course, the recipe was not perfected on the first try. It was trial and error until I was satisfied with it,” he added.
The result? A crispy, savoury delicacy suitable for all age groups, including children.
To his surprise, his creation quickly gained attention.
“I was surprised that it quickly gained likes, and many people asked if they could buy it. So, I decided to sell it as a pre-order item for RM8 each,” he said.
Unlike many aspiring chefs, Danial’s love for cooking did not come from home, particularly when it came to local Sabah flavours.
“My mother is from Peninsular Malaysia, so her cooking style is different from Sabah’s. We share a passion for technical skills, she teaches beauty and cosmetics at KVC, but my love for cooking developed naturally, especially after I started studying culinary arts at the college,” he said.
Determined to master traditional Sabah cooking, he turned to social media, learning from TikTok and YouTube videos featuring local chefs.
“I also love joining cooking competitions because they push me to explore the unique flavours of my home state,” he said.
Danial credits his inspiration to world-renowned chef Jamie Oliver, whose approach to sustainable and creative cooking has deeply influenced him.
With aspirations of becoming a culinary teacher, he hopes to further his studies and eventually open his own restaurant, where he can showcase his innovative approach to food.
KVC director Lumang Lang praised Danial’s achievement, calling him a role model for other students.
“His success proves that passion, creativity, and hard work can lead to remarkable innovations that address real-world problems,” he said.
Now that Danial has taken a big leap into the culinary world, he hopes to create more extraordinary dishes, which, according to him, “would be able to revolutionise each delicious bite at a time.”
