Dinner Ideas • Recipes from 193 Countries

Dinner Ideas from 193 Countries — What to Cook Tonight

Stuck on what to cook for dinner? Dinner Ideas brings easy dinner recipes from 193 countries — signature dishes with ingredients, steps, nutrition and pairings.

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What’s for Dinner TonightFeatured Dinner Recipes from 193 Countries

Showing 1345–1356 of 2321 dinner recipes

A roasted German pork knuckle with crisp dark crackling, served with potato dumplings and rich gravy

Germany 3h 55m

Dinner •Bavarian Beer-Hall Classic

German Pork Knuckle

This german pork knuckle recipe roasts a bone-in pork knuckle low and slow in dark beer, then finishes it at high heat so the skin turns to glassy crackling. Serve it with potato dumplings and sauerkraut, and a spoonful of sharp mustard. One serving is about 450 g.

Hearty & Satisfying

A whole pork knuckle slow-roasted until the meat falls from the bone and the skin shatters into crackling — the centrepiece of a Bavarian beer hall.

Pairs Well With
Potato dumplings, sauerkraut and a cold lager

High Protein

A golden baked bacalhau com natas gratin in a glass dish, with crisp potato and melted cheese

Portugal 1h 15m

Dinner •Lisbon Family Table

Bacalhau com Natas

This bacalhau com natas recipe layers desalted cod and fried potatoes in a light cream sauce, then bakes it under Gruyere until golden and bubbling. It is gentler and creamier than bacalhau a bras, and it feeds a family from one dish. One serving is about 400 g.

Comfort & Protein

Flaked salt cod folded into a creamy potato bake under a golden cheese crust — the cosiest of Portugal's many bacalhau dishes.

Pairs Well With
A green salad and a glass of vinho verde

A clay tagine of Moroccan chermoula fish, with herb-coated fish steaks, preserved lemon and olives

Morocco 1h 10m

Dinner •Moroccan Coastal Classic

Moroccan Chermoula Fish Tagine

This moroccan chermoula fish tagine recipe marinates white fish in a bright herb paste of parsley, coriander, garlic, cumin and lemon, then layers it over potatoes, tomatoes and peppers in a tagine and cooks it gently until the fish flakes. It is the coastal classic of Morocco — light, fragrant and full of vegetables. One serving is about 420 g.

Light & Herby

Firm white fish marinated in green chermoula, then slow-cooked in a clay tagine with potatoes, peppers and preserved lemon.

Pairs Well With
Warm bread, couscous and mint tea

High Protein

Charred Egyptian grilled chicken pieces on flatbread with pickles, fries and onion salad

Egypt 1h 10m

Dinner •Cairo Grill Staple

Egyptian Grilled Chicken

This egyptian grilled chicken recipe — farrouj meshwi — marinates a spatchcocked chicken in yoghurt, garlic, lemon, cumin and coriander, then grills it over charcoal until the skin crisps and the meat stays juicy. It is the chicken every Cairo grill house is judged by. One serving is about 300 g.

Smoky & Satisfying

A whole chicken marinated in yoghurt, garlic, lemon and cumin, then grilled over charcoal until the skin is crisp and the meat is juicy.

Pairs Well With
Flatbread, pickles and garlic sauce

High Protein

Sliced matambre roll on a white tray, showing the spiral of beef, hard-boiled egg, red pepper and olives

Argentina 2h

Dinner •Argentine Asado Heritage

Matambre

This matambre recipe butterflies a flank steak, layers it with hard-boiled eggs, roasted red peppers, carrots, parsley and olives, then rolls it tight, roasts it in beef stock and slices it to show the colourful spiral. One serving is about 240 g.

Comfort & Warmth

A sliced roast of beef, egg and peppers with chimichurri — rich, savoury and made for sharing.

Pairs Well With
Chimichurri, roast potatoes and a glass of Malbec

High Protein

A plate of pachamanca with roasted meats, potatoes, white corn and a leaf-wrapped parcel on a red-checked cloth

Peru 3h 50m

Dinner •Andean Heritage Feast

Pachamanca

This pachamanca recipe marinates beef, lamb, pork and chicken in aji panca and aji amarillo with garlic, cumin and mint, then slow-roasts them in a covered pan with potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn and broad beans — the home-oven version of the Andean earth oven. One serving is about 325 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Slow-roasted meats, potatoes and corn with an aji chilli marinade — a communal Andean feast cooked in a home oven.

Pairs Well With
Salsa criolla, chicha morada and warm bread

High Protein

A bowl of Sarawak laksa with prawns, omelette strips and herbs in a red-orange coconut spice broth

Malaysia 1h 25m

Lunch •Kuching Hawker Classic

Sarawak Laksa

This sarawak laksa recipe simmers a homemade sambal belacan spice paste — dried chillies, shallots, galangal, lemongrass, candlenut and tamarind — in chicken stock and coconut milk, then ladles it over rice vermicelli with shredded chicken, prawns, omelette strips and bean sprouts. One serving is about 620 g.

Comfort & Warmth

A spicy coconut broth with chicken, prawns and rice vermicelli — warming, fragrant and filling.

Pairs Well With
Iced lime tea and extra sambal belacan on the side

Soups & Broths • Pasta & Noodles

A plate of nasi uduk — fragrant coconut rice with a sambal-topped egg, omelette strips, fried tempeh, vermicelli and prawn crackers.

Indonesia 1h

Breakfast •Jakarta Betawi Classic

Nasi Uduk

Nasi uduk is Jakarta's breakfast rice: jasmine rice steamed in coconut milk with pandan, lemongrass, galangal and bay, then served with fried tempeh, egg, cucumber and sambal. One serving is about 350 g, including the side dishes. Unlike fried rice, it is never fried — the flavour comes from the slow steam.

Fragrant & Filling

Jakarta-style rice steamed in coconut milk with pandan, lemongrass and galangal, served with egg, fried tempeh and sambal.

Pairs Well With
Serve warm on a plate or in banana leaf, with fried tempeh, egg, cucumber, prawn crackers and sambal on the side.

A plate of hachee — glossy braised beef in dark gravy with a bay leaf — beside mashed potatoes and red cabbage.

Netherlands 3h 25m

Dinner •Dutch Winter Classic

Hachee

Hachee is the Netherlands' beloved beef-and-onion stew: beef chuck slow-braised for three hours with as many onions as beef, bay, clove and juniper, then thickened and sweetened with apple butter and a slice of spiced gingerbread. One serving is about 375 g, before the mashed potatoes and red cabbage it is traditionally served with.

Rich & Comforting

Dutch beef-and-onion stew, slow-braised with bay, clove and juniper, thickened with gingerbread and sweetened with apple butter.

Pairs Well With
Serve hot with creamy mashed potatoes and braised red cabbage with apple.

A plate with one large glossy boulet liégeois in dark sweet-sour sauce, with green salad and boiled potatoes.

Belgium 1h 20m

Dinner •Liège Walloon Classic

Boulets Liégeois

Boulets liégeois are Liège's giant meatballs — beef and pork mince, bread and parsley — simmered in sauce lapin, a sweet-sour gravy of onions, vinegar, brown sugar, dark beer and sirop de Liège, studded with raisins. One serving is about 438 g: two meatballs with sauce, before the fries they are traditionally served with. The sauce is named after Madame Géraldine Lapin, not after any rabbit.

Rich & Comforting

Liège's big beef-and-pork meatballs simmered in sweet-sour sauce lapin with sirop de Liège, raisins and dark beer.

Pairs Well With
Serve two meatballs per person with crisp fries and a small green salad.

High Protein

A slice of Zuger Kirschtorte on a white plate — golden sponge, pink kirsch buttercream and nut meringue layers under a dusting of icing sugar.

Switzerland 1h 25m

Snack & Tea •Zug Cherry Classic

Zuger Kirschtorte

Zuger Kirschtorte is Zug's cherry cake: crisp almond-and-hazelnut meringue discs sandwiching a kirsch-soaked sponge, filled with pale pink kirsch buttercream and dusted with icing sugar. One slice is about 128 g. Unlike Black Forest cake, it has no chocolate and no whipped cream — the kirsch buttercream is the whole point, and the cake is a protected Swiss speciality.

Sweet & Celebratory

Zug's cherry cake: nut meringue, kirsch-soaked sponge and kirsch buttercream, dusted with icing sugar — no chocolate, unlike Black Forest cake.

Pairs Well With
Serve a thin slice with black coffee or unsweetened tea.

Golden tray-baked chicken pieces with roasted potatoes in a black baking pan

Lebanon 1h 15m

Dinner •Lebanese Home Classic

Lebanese Dajaj bil Saniyeh

This dajaj bil saniyeh recipe — literally 'chicken in the tray' — bakes bone-in chicken pieces and potato wedges together in one pan with a garlic, lemon, sumac and olive-oil marinade. The chicken drips its juices onto the potatoes as they roast, so every bite is tangy, garlicky and golden. One serving is about 400 g.

One-Tray & Comforting

Bone-in chicken pieces and potato wedges baked together in one tray with a garlic, lemon, sumac and olive-oil marinade until the skin is golden and the potatoes are crisp at the edges.

Pairs Well With
Warm flatbread, fattoush salad and garlic sauce

High Protein

Find Dinner Ideas by Country

Every one of the world's 193 countries has a signature dish — browse the full directory to find tonight's dinner, or jump straight to a cuisine with recipes.

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Zimbabwe Browse all 193 countries →

Dinner Ideas by Category

Soups & Broths Pasta & Noodles High Protein Fermented / Gut Health Quick Prep (<30m)

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The Dinner GazetteFresh Dinner Ideas from the Journal

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A bowl of tagliatelle with rich ragù sauce

Ingredient Guides

The Pantry Staples Every World Kitchen Shares

From a market in Bangkok to a farmhouse in Tuscany, cooks reach for the same handful of staples: rice, dried beans, good oil, salt, garlic, chillies and something sour. Stock these, and dinner in any cuisine is suddenly within reach.

November 5, 2026 • 725 words

A hearty autumn stew served in a rustic bowl

Seasonal Cooking

Autumn’s Best: Cooking with Squash and Root Vegetables

When the air turns cool, the garden answers with squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips and beets. Roasted low and slow, these autumn vegetables turn sweet, caramelised and deeply satisfying — here is how to cook them well.

November 5, 2026 • 597 words

Fresh herbs rolled into Vietnamese spring rolls

Kitchen Techniques

How to Store Fresh Herbs So They Last Two Weeks

Fresh herbs wilt in days when they are tossed loose into the fridge. The jar method — a little water, a loose bag, and the right shelf — keeps parsley, cilantro, mint and dill bright and fragrant for up to two weeks.

November 5, 2026 • 658 words

Food Pairing Guide

What to Eat With What

Some foods taste better — and do you more good — together. Here is what to serve with each dish, and what to skip, with the science in plain words.

Tested in the Dinner Ideas kitchen

Phở Bò (Vietnamese Beef Broth)

Iron & Collagen Dynamics

EAT TOGETHER: Fresh Lime & Sawtooth Coriander

The ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) in freshly squeezed lime converts the non-heme and heme iron from thinly shaved beef into its bioavailable ferrous form (Fe²⁺), escalating iron assimilation by up to 300%. Fresh culantro supplies carotenes that ignite digestive bile acids.

AVOID IMMEDIATELY AFTER: Condensed Milk Iced Coffee

Drinking condensed milk coffee (Cà Phê Sữa Đá) directly following Phở binds active polyphenolic chlorogenic acids and milk casein directly to the beef iron molecules, forming unabsorbable insoluble complexes that severely stunt nutrient uptake. Wait at least 90 minutes.

Metabolic window: Breakfast (07:00 – 09:30) • Optimal Gut Transition: 3.5 Hours

Tomatoes & Wild Summer Greens

Carotenoid Unlocking

EAT TOGETHER: Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Aged Feta

Lycopene is an intrinsically lipophilic (fat-soluble) antioxidant compound bound tight inside tomato skin cells. Pairing ripe heirloom tomatoes with the monounsaturated fats of raw cold-pressed olive oil boosts vascular lycopene absorption by nearly 4.4-fold.

AVOID TOGETHER: Fat-Free Industrial Dressings

Consuming vine tomatoes with zero-fat or high-sugar artificial vinaigrettes prevents the body from emulsifying fat-soluble Vitamins A, E, and K, passing essential restorative nutrients unabsorbed through the gastrointestinal tract.

Metabolic window: Lunch or Aperitivo • Lycopene Uptake: +440%

Turmeric + Black Pepper

Piperine in coarse crushed pepper amplifies active curcumin bioavailability by 2000%.

Green Tea + Lemon Twist

Citric acid preserves delicate EGCG catechins through acidic stomach transit intact.

Calcium Rich + Iron Stews

Heavy dairy cheese interferes with non-heme iron absorption channels if consumed simultaneously.

Dinner Ideas from 193 Countries — What to Cook Tonight

What’s for Dinner TonightFeatured Dinner Recipes from 193 Countries

Find Dinner Ideas by Country

Dinner Ideas by Category

Dinner Ideas by Meal

Dinner Ideas by Region

The Dinner GazetteFresh Dinner Ideas from the Journal

What to Eat With What

Iron & Collagen Dynamics

Carotenoid Unlocking

Never wonder what’s for dinner again