The first Diwali I spent outside India, I bought two diyas from a Taiwanese craft store, lit them on my balcony, and cooked kheer by myself while watching my phone. The kheer was fine. The diyas were fine. The whole thing was, technically, a celebration of Diwali. It was also one of the loneliest evenings I can remember.
This is the Diwali problem for Indian expats in Taiwan. The festival is built around density — noise, light, family, every room full of people, the smell of ghee and cardamom from the kitchen reaching the front door. When you strip all of that away and leave just one person with a diya and a YouTube playlist, what you have is a shell of something.
What Bhabhi does for Diwali
Each year around Diwali, we run a special evening menu. It is longer than our regular menu — there are dishes we only cook at this time of year, sweets that take three days to prepare, things that make the restaurant smell like Diwali night rather than like a regular Tuesday.
- Shahi paneer — the festive version, richer than the weekday one
- Mutton rogan josh — slow-braised Kashmiri style with whole spices
- Meethi saunf pulao — sweet-fennel rice for the occasion
- Gulab jamun made fresh that morning
- Besan ki barfi — chickpea fudge, a Diwali staple
- Masala chai served in clay cups
The point is not to recreate what Diwali looks like in India. The point is to recreate what it feels like — which is warmth, abundance, and a room full of people who are glad to be together.
A table for the community
Our Diwali dinner runs as a buffet — communal seating, shared dishes, no separate ordering. We seat Indian families, Taiwanese couples who have heard about the event, expats from other countries who are curious. The table is lit with diyas. The smell from the kitchen starts in the afternoon. By the time guests arrive, the place feels like somewhere.
Reservations open in September each year. Seats go quickly — message us on WhatsApp to join the list for Diwali 2026. Near Hsinchu Science Park, this is the only table that marks the festival properly.
