KUCHING: A shopping mall’s attempt to set a mark in the Malaysia Book of Records yesterday will see the equivalent of 1,500 bowls of Sarawak Laksa thrown out today.

The contents of the ginormous 1.3-metre deep and 3.1-metre wide custom-made ‘bowl’ – including 100kg of Sarawak Laksa paste, 225kg of beehoon (rice noodles), 90kg of prawns, 1,008 eggs, 90kg of bean sprouts, and 80kg of chicken – will all go to waste.

Fifteen cooks took 18 hours to prepare the massive dish.

“It will all be thrown away because it is unhealthy for human consumption,” organiser Debra Sim said when contacted by The Borneo Post.

The record was certified by Malaysia Book of Records deputy general manager Mohamad Alex Edward and witnessed by Minister of Local Government Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian as well as Datuk Redzuawan Ismail, who is better known as Chef Wan.

Dr Sim called the effort a good way to introduce local dishes at a higher level.

“Sarawak Laksa is popular among the locals, yet it has not yet been known internationally. Therefore, I wish to encourage local entrepreneurs to be more innovative in diversifying their Laksa Sarawak paste-based food products. For instance, they can use it to make a variety of dishes, including Pizza Laksa Sarawak and Risotto Laksa Sarawak,” he said.

Meanwhile, secondary school teacher Michael Law, 44, called The Borneo Post to complain about the record attempt.

“I saw the function on the Facebook page and called to confirm whether the enormous amount of food was being wasted just to enter the book of records. When it was confirmed, I felt very sad.

“I feel that the minister, who was officiating at the function, should have known what he was doing. He missed the chance to educate the organisers and the public of the good values of not wasting food,” he said.

The organiser had said the aim behind the record was to showcase that a bowl of original Sarawak Laksa is the ultimate choice.

The record was also to promote Kuching as a tourism destination not only for international tourists but also for locals and other Malaysians.

The mall will give away freshly prepared Sarawak Laksa to the public today (Oct 29) from 4pm.

Research by Solid Waste Corporation Management showed Malaysians waste 15,000 tonnes of food daily, including 3,000 tonnes that is still fit for consumption.

This is estimated to be enough to feed 11 million people with three meals a day.

The average Malaysian household is said to throw away more than a month’s salary on food that is wasted annually.

Globally, about 1.3 billion tonnes of food valued at RM4.4 trillion is lost or wasted every year.