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 2125–2136 of 2290 dinner recipes

Roast kid goat with golden potatoes and orange slices in a terracotta tray, with a dish of rice behind it

Colombia 3h

Dinner •Santander Heritage

Cabrito Santandereano

This cabrito santandereano recipe is Santander's festive roast: a young kid goat marinated overnight in garlic, cumin, oregano and sour orange, then oven-roasted and basted with white wine until the skin turns crisp and golden. The meat is lean and tender, the potatoes roast in the pan juices, and the whole tray is carved at the table for a celebration meal. One serving is about 470 g.

Festive & Hearty

Kid goat marinated in garlic, cumin and sour orange, oven-roasted with potatoes until the meat falls from the bone.

Pairs Well With
White rice, a crisp lettuce and tomato salad, and a warm arepa santandereana, with Colombian aji on the side.

High Protein

Okra stewed in rich tomato sauce, served in a brown earthenware bowl

Cuba 55m

Lunch •Cuban Heritage

Quimbombo

Quimbombo is Cuba's okra stew: tender okra simmered in a tomato sofrito of onion, bell pepper and garlic, brightened with lime and cumin. One serving is about 639 g. This quimbombo recipe is ready in 55 minutes and serves four, with white rice to soak up the sauce.

Hearty Vegetable Stew

Tender okra simmered in a tomato sofrito with lime and cumin, served over white rice.

Pairs Well With
White rice, fried plantains and a cold lime soda.

Beef stewed in a rich brown sauce with carrots and potatoes in a white bowl

Dominican Republic 2h 35m

Dinner •Dominican Home-Cooking Heritage

Carne Guisada

This carne guisada recipe braises beef chuck in a sofrito tomato sauce with peppers, onion and garlic until it is fork-tender, with potatoes and carrots added late so they hold their shape. It is one of the most popular ways to cook beef in the Dominican Republic, the classic meat of the la bandera plate, and it feeds four generously. One serving is about 470 g.

Hearty Family Stew

Slow-braised beef in a sofrito tomato sauce with potatoes and carrots, made for unhurried family meals.

Pairs Well With
Serve over white rice with stewed red beans and avocado slices, and an ice-cold beer or lime soda.

High Protein

Whole grilled tilapia on charred bijao leaves with boiled yuca and lime wedges on a white plate

Ecuador 1h

Dinner •Quijos Amazon Heritage

Maito de Pescado

Maito de Pescado is the Amazonian way of cooking fish: a whole tilapia seasoned with garlic, cumin and lime, wrapped in bijao leaves and grilled over coals until the flesh steams in its own juices. One serving is about 465 g. This maito de pescado recipe is ready in 60 minutes and serves four, with boiled yuca, grilled green plantain and a sharp red-onion curtido alongside.

Amazon Comfort

Whole fish wrapped in bijao leaves and grilled over coals, served with boiled yuca, plantain and curtido, the way it is eaten in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

Pairs Well With
Boiled yuca, grilled green plantain and red-onion curtido, with a cold glass of chicha or lime juice.

A round golden cassava flatbread cooking on a dark clay griddle

Haiti 1h 20m

Snack & Tea •Haitian Cassava Heritage

Kasav

This kasav recipe makes 8 thin, crisp cassava flatbreads from grated fresh cassava and a pinch of salt, pressed flat and cooked on a hot griddle until golden and dry. It is the flatbread Haiti has baked since long before wheat arrived — naturally gluten-free and endlessly useful. One serving is about 105 g (one round).

Rustic & Filling

A thin, crisp flatbread of grated cassava pressed and cooked on a hot griddle — Haiti's oldest bread, with no wheat at all.

Pairs Well With
Break kasav into pieces and scoop up stews and soups, or eat it with avocado, pikliz and a cold drink.

Golden-brown baked coconut macaroons arranged in rows on a parchment-lined baking tray

Honduras 50m

Snack & Tea •Honduran Coconut Sweet

Cocadas Hondurenas

This cocadas hondurenas recipe turns grated coconut, coconut milk and sweetened condensed milk into golden baked macaroons with crisp tops and soft, chewy centres. Honduran home cooks simmer the coconut in the milks until thick, shape the paste into little mounds and bake them until deep golden — no egg, no wheat flour, just coconut, milk and sugar. One serving is about 110 g.

Sweet Coconut Treat

Golden baked mounds of grated coconut, coconut milk and sweetened condensed milk, crisp on top and chewy inside.

Pairs Well With
Honduran coffee, hot chocolate, or a cold glass of horchata

Four golden fried arepitas de chicharrón, small corn cakes flecked with pork cracklings, on a white paper towel

Venezuela 40m

Snack & Tea •Llanos Heritage

Arepitas de Chicharrón

This arepitas de chicharron recipe makes 8 small fried corn cakes from pre-cooked white cornmeal and finely chopped pork cracklings, crisp outside and tender inside. One serving is 2 arepitas, about 200 g. They are a Venezuelan Llanos snack, served hot with suero de leche or guasacaca for dipping, and they are a distinct dish from the large stuffed arepa: small, unstuffed, and defined by the cracklings in the dough rather than any filling.

Hearty Snack

Small corn cakes fried crisp with pork cracklings kneaded into the dough, giving protein and crunch in a handheld snack.

Pairs Well With
Suero de leche (cultured cream) or guasacaca (avocado-herb sauce) for dipping, with a cold papelón con limón.

Small round tamarind candy balls dusted with sugar in a steel bowl on a red market cloth

El Salvador 1h 10m

Snack & Tea •Salvadoran Market Sweet

Dulce de Tamarindo

This dulce de tamarindo recipe cooks sticky tamarind pulp with brown sugar, cinnamon and a pinch of salt until it thickens to soft-ball stage, then rolls the glossy paste into 24 little balls and coats them in sugar. The result is intensely sweet-sour, chewy and firm enough to keep for weeks — the candy sold by the piece at Salvadoran markets and fairs. One serving is 3 balls, about 86 g.

Sweet & Sour Treat

Tamarind pulp cooked with brown sugar to soft-ball stage, rolled into sweet-sour balls and dusted with sugar — El Salvador's market candy, eaten a few pieces at a time with coffee.

Pairs Well With
Black coffee, horchata de morro and fresh fruit

Butterflied sabalo grilling over charcoal on a grill grate, golden-brown and crisp

Bolivia 50m

Dinner •Tarija Heritage

Sabalo a la Parrilla

Sabalo a la parrilla is the grilled river fish of Tarija: a whole butterflied sabalo, scored and rubbed with garlic, lime and salt, cooked over charcoal until the skin crisps and the flesh flakes. One serving is about 320 g of fish with salsa.

High-Protein & Smoky

Whole butterflied sabalo grilled over charcoal with garlic and lime, served with salsa criolla, boiled yuca and mote.

Pairs Well With
Boiled yuca, mote corn and salsa criolla, with a cold lager or a glass of white wine.

High Protein

Golden layered chumbeque bars stacked in neat rows, with fruit syrup visible between the crisp wafers

Chile 1h 10m

Snack & Tea •Iquique Heritage

Chumbeque

This chumbeque recipe bakes thin, crisp wafers of flour, lard and baking soda until golden, then layers them with a lemon-and-cinnamon syrup and lets them set into sliceable bars. It is the sweet Iquique is known for, crunchy outside and sticky-sweet between the layers. One serving is about 96 g.

Northern Sweet Classic

Crisp baked wafers layered with lemon-and-cinnamon syrup — Iquique's Cantonese-rooted sweet, sold on every corner of the northern desert port.

Pairs Well With
Coffee, tea & fresh fruit

A mound of golden arroz de lisa rice with parsley, served with fried plantain, avocado salad and boiled yuca on a banana leaf

Colombia 3h 15m

Lunch •Barranquilla Heritage

Arroz de Lisa

This arroz de lisa recipe desalts and poaches salted mullet, flakes it into a sofrito of spring onion, tomato and sweet pepper, then cooks rice in the fish's own broth with coconut milk until golden with achiote. It is Barranquilla's most loved street food, served on a bijao leaf with fried plantain and avocado. One serving is about 310 g.

Caribbean Coastal Classic

Salted mullet rice cooked in its own broth with coconut milk, achiote and spring onion — Barranquilla's street-corner classic, served on a bijao leaf.

Pairs Well With
Fried plantain, avocado salad & suero costeño

Longaniza sausages coated in a glossy red tomato and onion sauce, served over golden French fries

Dominican Republic 35m

Dinner •Dominican Street-Food Heritage

Longaniza Guisada

This longaniza guisada recipe stews 600 g of Dominican pork sausage in a tomato and pepper sauce with onion, garlic, bitter orange and cilantro. Longaniza is the island's favourite sausage, and this stewed version is one of the easiest and quickest ways to cook it, ready in about half an hour. One serving is about 355 g.

Bold Weeknight Stew

Fresh pork longaniza stewed in a bright tomato and pepper sauce, a quick and bold Dominican favourite.

Pairs Well With
Serve over white rice with fried plantain and avocado slices, and an ice-cold beer or lime soda.

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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Antigua and Barbuda

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Yemen

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