Prawn Biryani at the ICONSiam Bangkok Diwali Festival

Delicious Indian Lunch

at the 2021 Bangkok Great Indian Diwali Festival


This past week was Diwali, the Festival of Lights! I had heard that a huge Indian food market and cultural festival was being set up at the giant luxury shopping mall ICONSiam on the riverside, and knew I wanted to check it out. As soon as I entered the exhibition hall, I was greeted with the incredible smells of Indian spices.

Of course, I was instantly hungry, so I wandered through the market area, picking up a few different dishes to try for my lunch. Then, I found a free table, and sat down to eat. I'm a big believer in the idea that the best way to celebrate any holiday or festival is through food! My main course was a savory and heavily spiced prawn biryani, a rice dish cooked with all sorts of comforting Indian spices and served with a generous portion of delicious Thai prawns (120 THB). The biryani came from a stall run by Homemade Kitchen and Café

prawn biryani
prawn biryani

I also ordered a vegetable samosa (25 THB) which came fresh right out of the fryer, and two pieces of gulab jamun (20 THB / pc), a traditional Indian sweet made from khoya (milk-solids) soaked in a sweet sugar syrup.

gulab jamun and vegetable samosa
gulab jamun and vegetable samosa

And finally, the lunch wouldn't be complete without a cup of strong sweet masala chai (black tea boiled with spices) (30 THB).

These dishes all came from a stall run by Indian Host Restaurant.

a cup of hot masala tea
a cup of hot masala tea

But what is Diwali, exactly?

Diwali is sometimes likened to Christmas, as it is a time of gift giving (and, from what I understand, something of a commercialized holiday in modern times). It is the Festival of Lights, a holiday which symbolizes the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.

food stalls at the 2021 Great Indian Diwali Festival in Bangkok, Thailand
food stalls at the 2021 Great Indian Diwali Festival in Bangkok, Thailand

During Diwali, Indian families will clean their homes, decorate houses and shops with flowers and lanterns, pray at the temple, light fireworks, and feast. It seems like quite a fun time!

Happy Diwali 2021!
Happy Diwali 2021!

The Restaurants

Homemade Kitchen & Café


I visited their restaurant recently and had a delicious mutton roghan ghost and butter naan: Mutton Roghan Ghosht with Butter Naan in Bangkok, Thailand (Homemade Kitchen & Cafe) (theworldofstreetfood.com)

Indian Host


Happy Diwali 2021 

from The World of Street Food

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