Twenty-seven-year-old Escombe resident Saveena Naidu shared a traditional crispy soya fish cake recipe inspired by her grandmother, Saras Naicker, known as “Aayaa,” across her TikTok platform, @saveenanaidu.
The Bottom Line
- Escombe cook Saveena Naidu published a viral family recipe on TikTok for crispy soya fish cakes inspired by her grandmother, Saras Naicker.
- The dish uses shredded soya fish, mashed potato, onion, green chillies, coriander, and gram flour, completely omitting actual seafood.
- The recipe launch highlights generational culinary traditions within Durban Indian households, backed by family support and modern content creation.
Heritage Recipes and Modern TikTok Platforms
For Naidu, the kitchen represents far more than a space for meal preparation. It serves as an archive where family memories, traditions, and values of resilience and love are passed down. Through her digital presence on TikTok, she translates those domestic traditions into a format accessible to a modern generation, maintaining a distinct personal touch.
The highlighted recipe stems directly from her grandmother, Saras Naicker, a 45-year veteran seller of AMC Cookware and a breast cancer survivor.
Academic Pursuits and Generational Cooking Skills
Balancing digital content creation with rigorous professional studies, Naidu has completed a BCom Law degree with distinction, a BCom Honours in Business Management, and her RE5 certification, while currently working toward an LLB. She credits her mother, Sabashni Moodley, as a foundational influence who consistently finds time to bake and cook comfort meals despite demanding daily routines.
Childhood memories rooted in large family gatherings, particularly during Diwali celebrations involving open-fire cooking and late-night storytelling, shaped Naidu’s passion for food preparation. Moodley expressed immense pride in seeing how her daughter weaves academic knowledge with generational skills to forge an independent path.
The Recipe and Preparation Methods
Designed to yield approximately 12 patties, the dish requires specific preparation steps to achieve its characteristic texture. The ingredient profile comprises 250g of soya fish, one boiled and mashed potato, a finely chopped onion, salt to taste, one-quarter cup of gram flour for the mixture plus an additional half-cup for coating, half a cup of chopped fresh dhania (coriander), three finely chopped green chillies, and sufficient oil for shallow frying.
The preparation process involves peeling the thin outer skin layer from the soya fish and shredding the core using a fork. Cooks then combine the shredded soya, mashed potato, onion, chillies, coriander, salt, and the initial quarter-cup of gram flour in a bowl, mixing until the mass holds together firmly. After shaping the mixture into individual patties, each cake is dipped in gram flour before being shallow-fried in oil until golden brown and crispy. Alternative preparation methods include freezing the patties for later use or brushing them with oil for an air-fried, lighter variation.
| Recipe Component | Specification | Preparation Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Main Base | 250g Soya Fish | Peel skin layer and shred with a fork |
| Binding Agent | 1 Boiled Potato & Gram Flour | Mash potato; mix ¼ cup gram flour into batter |
| Aromatics & Spices | Onion, Dhania, Green Chillies | Finely chop and combine with salt to taste |
| Cooking Method | Shallow Fry (Optional Air Fry) | Coat in ½ cup gram flour and fry until golden |
