How this ‘Soya Belacan’ couple is dishing up harmony

Free Malaysia Today

Through their highly popular ‘Soya Belacan’ Instagram page, Tan Yan Yin and Azrul Mukhri Azizul Affendi are proving that food, faith, and family can blend beautifully.   Story by: Dinesh Kumar Maganathan  Shot by: Hizami Safri  Presented by: Theevya Ragu  Edited by: Andrea Edmonds   Read More: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2025/03/29/soya-belacan-couple-dishes-up-harmony/   Free Malaysia Today is an independent, bi-lingual news portal with a focus on Malaysian current affairs.    Subscribe to our channel - http://bit.ly/2Qo08ry   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Check us out at https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com  Follow FMT on Facebook: https://bit.ly/49JJoo5  Follow FMT on Dailymotion: https://bit.ly/2WGITHM  Follow FMT on X: https://bit.ly/48zARSW  Follow FMT on Instagram: https://bit.ly/48Cq76h  Follow FMT on TikTok : https://bit.ly/3uKuQFp  Follow FMT Berita on TikTok: https://bit.ly/48vpnQG  Follow FMT Telegram - https://bit.ly/42VyzMX  Follow FMT LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/42YytEb  Follow FMT Lifestyle on Instagram: https://bit.ly/42WrsUj  Follow FMT on WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/49GMbxW  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Download FMT News App:  Google Play – http://bit.ly/2YSuV46  App Store – https://apple.co/2HNH7gZ  Huawei AppGallery - https://bit.ly/2D2OpNP   #FMTLifestyle #FMTBeraya #SoyaBelacan

Transcript

00:00I see the true spirit of Ramadan. It's not only just restrained from eating and drinking,

00:06but it's also restrained from doing other bad things, like talking bad about people.

00:12And doing maki orang.

00:16Tan Yan Yin and her husband, Azrul Mukri Azizul Effendi, have been whipping up a cultural

00:22fusion through their Instagram page, Soya Belacan, where over 300,000 followers feast

00:28on their unique blend of Chinese and Malay cuisine.

00:33From snow fungus pear tong suey to claypot udang garam, their dishes bridge two rich

00:39culinary traditions.

00:40How long have you guys been together?

00:41Oh, how long have you guys been married?

00:422018.

00:43How many years?

00:44Six?

00:45Seven?

00:46I don't know.

00:47You do the math.

00:48The math is not my thing now.

00:49It's always not your thing.

00:5019, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25.

00:51Seven years.

00:53But cooking wasn't part of the plan for Tan when she got married, until a conversation

01:04with her mother-in-law.

01:05Yeah, but my mother-in-law come and talk to me.

01:10She say, oh, you have to learn Malay food.

01:12She say, if one day I'm not around, then you are the one who in charge to cook rendang

01:17for Raya.

01:18And that struck me.

01:19Yeah, I need to learn how to cook Malay food.

01:22Their story started in a Wing Chun class in Ipoh, their birth town, where their conversations

01:27quickly turned from martial arts to life's bigger questions.

01:31He asked me about the purpose of life, and I can't answer to that.

01:39But he has a very good answer to it.

01:41It's Islam.

01:42Then he show me more about Islam, videos.

01:45At first, actually, I feel a bit reluctant.

01:47I'm like, hey, annoying.

01:49This guy always send me Islam videos and everything.

01:52But when I'm free, I start to watch the video that he send me, and I find it makes sense.

02:01One thing I noticed about her, she's not quick to judge.

02:05She's willing to try new things.

02:07That's one thing good.

02:08She don't have that much of defense mechanism.

02:10Any topic she need to defense, no.

02:12She just try to go with the flow.

02:14Even till today, very easy.

02:17Tan eventually embraced Islam, but she still holds on to her Chinese roots, celebrating

02:22Chinese New Year, enjoying pineapple tarts, and laughing at how Azrul still receives ampau

02:28while she doesn't.

02:30At the same time, she cherishes Ramadan and Hari Raya.

02:36Love, respect, and good food can bridge any gap, right?

02:41Like how Allah also stated in Quran, Surah 49, verse 13.

02:47He created different tribes and races to know each other.

02:51So we're doing it by food.

02:56I see the true spirit of Ramadan.

02:59It's not only just restrain from eating and drinking, but it also restrain from doing

03:04other bad things, like talking bad about people.

03:09And don't curse people.

03:14As content creators, their Ramadan is now filled with recipe videos and filming sessions.

03:20And the messages they receive from their followers prove they're doing things right.

03:28Actually, it's one of the heartwarming moments when we receive messages like this.

03:33They say they're worried about how their family will react when they know about their

03:40marriage.

03:42But our posts give them hope.

03:45I can be happy.

03:47My family can accept us.

03:51The couple's next dream is on the horizon.

03:54A halal, affordable kopitiam where their flavors can bring even more people together.

04:00This also means more time spent with their daughter, Tan's biggest wish for Ramadan this year.

04:08I hope we can have more time together, spend family time together, and make better content,

04:17not constantly just thinking about jobs.

04:25Love, respect and good food can bridge any gap.

04:30Divya Raghu and Dinesh Kumar Maganadan, FMT.

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