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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Breakfast to Snack

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What’s for Dinner TonightFeatured Dinner Recipes from 193 Countries

Showing 1825–1836 of 2290 dinner recipes

A plate of cabrito a la nortena with braised goat in green herb sauce, white rice, beans and boiled yuca

Peru 4h 30m

Dinner •Lambayeque Heritage

Cabrito a la Norteña

Cabrito a la nortena is the defining goat stew of northern Peru: young goat marinated in chicha de jora, the fermented corn beer of the Andes, then braised low and slow with cilantro, aji amarillo, red onion and loche squash until the meat falls from the bone. The sauce turns a deep herb green, and it is served with white rice, beans and boiled yuca. One serving is about 332 g.

Hearty & Warming

Slow-braised goat in a green cilantro and chicha sauce, rich in protein and deeply savoury.

Pairs Well With
White rice, canary beans, boiled yuca and salsa criolla.

High Protein

Trays of lok lok skewers — fish balls, sausages and tofu puffs — on ice at a night market stall in Malacca

Malaysia 40m

Dinner •Malaysian Night Market Classic

Lok Lok

Lok lok is Malaysia's most playful street food: bite-size skewers of fish balls, prawns, squid, tofu puffs and mushrooms, grilled over charcoal and dunked in satay peanut sauce or sweet chilli sauce. At night markets you pick your own skewers from the stall and cook them yourself; this grilled version brings that same do-it-yourself fun to a home barbecue. One serving is about 341 g.

Fun & Filling

Grilled seafood skewers with peanut and sweet chilli sauces, a hands-on night-market dinner.

Pairs Well With
Satay peanut sauce, sweet chilli sauce, cucumber salad and iced lime tea.

Ayam geprek: smashed crispy fried chicken covered in red chilli sambal with rice, cucumber and cabbage on a green plate

Indonesia 45m

Dinner •Yogyakarta Street-Food Classic

Ayam Geprek

This ayam geprek recipe starts with chicken rubbed in garlic, shallot, coriander and turmeric, coated in rice flour and fried until shatteringly crisp, then smashed flat with a pestle and buried under a raw sambal of red chillies, garlic and lime. One serving is about 275 g. It is the dish that turned a Yogyakarta street stall into a nationwide craze: the smashing lets the sambal soak right into the cracked crust.

Bold & Filling

Crispy fried chicken smashed flat and topped with raw chilli sambal, served with rice and fresh vegetables.

Pairs Well With
Steamed rice, cucumber & cabbage lalapan, iced tea

High Protein

A tray of golden gevulde koeken, Dutch almond-filled cookies topped with whole almonds

Netherlands 55m

Snack & Tea •Dutch Bakery Classic

Gevulde Koeken

This gevulde koeken recipe makes the Dutch bakery classic: a rich, buttery shortcrust wrapped around a soft disc of almond paste, brushed with egg wash and finished with whole almonds on top. One cookie is about 80 g. The secret is the contrast — a crisp, golden shell that gives way to a moist, marzipan-like centre.

Sweet & Comforting

Buttery shortcrust cookies filled with sweet almond paste and topped with whole almonds.

Pairs Well With
Black coffee, Dutch tea, a glass of cold milk

A whole pan-fried plaice meuniere with fried potatoes and salad on a white plate

Belgium 30m

Dinner •Belgian Coastal Classic

Plie à la Meunière

This plie a la meuniere recipe is the Belgian coastal classic: firm plaice fillets dusted in flour like a miller's wife — meuniere means 'in the style of the miller's wife' — pan-fried in foaming butter until golden, then finished with lemon juice, parsley and capers. One serving is about 245 g. Plaice is thicker and firmer than sole, so it holds a better crust and suits a generous plate of fried potatoes.

Light & Elegant

Plaice fillets dusted in flour and pan-fried in butter with lemon, parsley and capers.

Pairs Well With
Fried potatoes, mixed salad & white wine

A bowl of wurstsalat with sliced sausage, Emmental cheese strips, onion rings, pickles and radish

Switzerland 20m

Lunch •Swiss Cold-Salad Classic

Wurstsalat

This wurstsalat recipe is the Swiss cold classic: thin strips of cooked pork sausage and Emmental cheese tossed in a sharp white-wine-vinegar dressing with red onion, pickles, radish and chives. One serving is about 215 g. Nothing is cooked: the salad is made by slicing, whisking and resting, and the 20 minutes it spends in the dressing is what turns good ingredients into a proper Wurstsalat.

Fresh & Satisfying

Cold sliced sausage and Emmental in a sharp vinegar dressing with onion, pickles and radish.

Pairs Well With
Crusty bread, pickled vegetables, a cold lager or apple juice

A slice of Donauwelle on a plate showing marble sponge, dark cherries, pale buttercream and a glossy chocolate glaze

Germany 1h 35m

Snack & Tea •German Baking Classic

Donauwelle

This donauwelle recipe is the German tray bake known as the Danube Wave: a light vanilla and chocolate marble sponge with sour cherries sunk into it, spread with vanilla custard buttercream and finished with a thin chocolate glaze combed into waves. One serving is about 154 g.

Sweet Treat

A marble sponge studded with sour cherries, layered with vanilla custard buttercream and a wavy chocolate glaze.

Pairs Well With
Coffee, whipped cream & vanilla ice cream

A slice of golden molotof pudding with caramel sauce on a white plate, with a spoon beside it

Portugal 45m

Snack & Tea •Portuguese Convent Sweet

Molotof

This molotof recipe is Portugal's airy meringue pudding: egg whites whipped to stiff peaks with sugar, folded with caramel and baked in a water bath until it rises high above the mould, then served cool in slices under golden caramel. One serving is about 82 g.

Sweet Treat

A cloud-light baked egg-white pudding in a caramel-lined mould, served cool under golden caramel.

Pairs Well With
Espresso, fresh berries & a glass of port

A clay bowl of Moroccan snail soup with striped snails and toothpicks, beside two small bowls of dark spiced broth at a Marrakech street stall

Morocco 2h

Snack & Tea •Marrakech Street-Food Classic

Moroccan Snail Soup

This moroccan snail soup recipe is babbouche from the Jemaa el-Fnaa in Marrakech: garden snails simmered for an hour and a half in a fragrant broth of thyme, aniseed, caraway, mint, licorice and chili, then served in small bowls with the hot, peppery broth to sip. One serving is about 450 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Snails simmered in a peppery, herbal broth with thyme, aniseed, mint and licorice, served hot by the bowl.

Pairs Well With
Mint tea, crusty bread & lemon wedges

Soups & Broths

A plate of Egyptian rabbit stew with glossy braised rabbit pieces, carrots and potatoes in a rich brown sauce

Egypt 1h 40m

Dinner •Egyptian Countryside Classic

Egyptian Rabbit Stew

This egyptian rabbit stew recipe is the countryside classic known as arnab: rabbit jointed and browned, then braised in a rich tomato and onion sauce with garlic, cumin and coriander until the meat slips from the bone, with potatoes and carrots cooked in the same pot. One serving is about 770 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Rabbit braised low and slow in a cumin and garlic tomato sauce with potatoes and carrots, served with rice.

Pairs Well With
Steamed rice, baladi bread & pickled vegetables

Golden roast chicken with rice stuffing spilling from the cavity in a glass roasting dish

Lebanon 2h 10m

Dinner •Lebanese Heritage

Lebanese Stuffed Roast Chicken

This lebanese stuffed roast chicken recipe fills a whole bird with spiced rice, toasted pine nuts and almonds, then roasts it until the skin is crisp and the meat reaches 74°C (165°F). It takes 2 hours 10 minutes, serves 6, and the stuffing soaks up the roasting juices as it cooks. One serving is about 280 g.

Festive High-Protein Dinner

A whole chicken roasted golden over fragrant rice, pine nuts and almonds — a celebration dish that feeds six generously.

Pairs Well With
Fattoush salad, garlic toum, pickled cucumbers, and mint tea

High Protein

Fresh salsa criolla of sliced red tomatoes and red onion rings in a white bowl

Argentina 45m

Snack & Tea •Argentine Heritage

Argentine Salsa Criolla

This argentine salsa criolla recipe is the fresh onion, tomato and pepper relish that sits beside the chimichurri on every asado table: raw vegetables macerated in red wine vinegar and olive oil until they turn bright and sharp. It is ready in 45 minutes (15 minutes hands-on, plus 30 minutes resting), makes 8 servings, and needs no cooking at all. One serving is about 82 g.

Fresh Asado Condiment

Raw onion, tomato and peppers in vinegar and olive oil — the bright, crunchy sauce every Argentine asado table needs.

Pairs Well With
Grilled steak, chimichurri, empanadas, and crusty bread

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.

Afghanistan

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Angola

Antigua and Barbuda

Argentina

Armenia

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Bahamas

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Botswana

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Cabo Verde

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Central African Republic

Chad

Chile

China

Colombia

Comoros

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Republic of the Congo

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Fiji

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Iran

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Panama

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Portugal

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Romania

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Rwanda

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Lucia

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Samoa

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Zambia

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