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 325–336 of 2290 dinner recipes

Kung pao chicken in a white dish: diced chicken, roasted peanuts, dried red chillies and scallions in a glossy sauce

China 35m

Dinner •Sichuan Heritage

Kung Pao Chicken

This kung pao chicken recipe is the Sichuan original: bite-sized chicken wok-fried with dried red chillies, tingling Sichuan peppercorns, scallions and crisp roasted peanuts, all glossed with a sweet-sour soy and black vinegar sauce. It is hot, numbing, a little sweet and deeply savoury — the mala flavour that defines Sichuan cooking. One serving is about 200 g, served with rice.

Bold & Satisfying

A fast wok stir-fry of chicken, peanuts and dried chillies with Sichuan peppercorns, ready in about 35 minutes.

Pairs Well With
Steamed jasmine rice and a cool cucumber salad to balance the heat.

High Protein • Quick Prep (<30m)

Mapo tofu in a black pot: silken tofu cubes in a bright red mala sauce with minced beef and scallions

China 35m

Dinner •Chengdu Heritage

Mapo Tofu

This mapo tofu recipe is the Chengdu classic: cubes of silken tofu simmered in a bright red mala sauce of doubanjiang, fermented black beans and Sichuan peppercorns, with crisp minced beef scattered through it. The sauce is numbing, hot, salty and fragrant all at once — and it is the sauce, not the tofu, that makes the dish. One serving is about 220 g, served with rice.

Bold & Warming

Silken tofu simmered in a numbing-spicy doubanjiang sauce with minced beef, ready in about 35 minutes.

Pairs Well With
Steamed jasmine rice and a cool cucumber salad to balance the mala heat.

A whole lacquered Peking duck being carved at the table by a chef, with sliced crisp skin on a plate

China 2h 20m

Dinner •Beijing Heritage

Peking Duck

This peking duck recipe is the Beijing classic: a whole duck blanched, glazed with maltose and honey, air-dried until the skin is taut, then roasted until the skin turns deep mahogany and shatters like glass. It is carved at the table and eaten wrapped in thin pancakes with hoisin, scallion and cucumber. One serving is about 395 g, duck, pancakes and condiments together.

Celebration & Feast

A whole duck glazed, air-dried and roasted until the skin is lacquered and crisp, carved at the table with pancakes.

Pairs Well With
Thin pancakes, hoisin, scallion and cucumber — the classic wrap.

High Protein

Bandeja paisa on a white plate with red beans, white rice, a fried egg, chicharrón, morcilla, chorizo, fried plantain and two small arepas

Colombia 2h

Lunch •Antioquia Heritage

Bandeja Paisa

This bandeja paisa recipe builds the famous platter from Antioquia: red beans simmered with pork, white rice, crisp chicharrón, seasoned ground beef, chorizo and morcilla, a fried egg, sweet fried plantain, avocado, hogao sauce and a small grilled arepa. Every part is cooked separately, then piled onto one wide plate so each bite can mix a little of everything. One serving is about 894 g.

Hearty & Filling

A generous Antioquia platter of beans, rice, meats, egg, plantain and avocado, built to fuel a long working day.

Pairs Well With
A cold glass of panela lemonade or a light lager, with a small green salad on the side.

A stack of golden grilled Colombian arepas on a white plate, with a glass of orange juice beside them

Colombia 35m

Breakfast •Andean Heritage

Colombian Arepas

This Colombian arepas recipe turns pre-cooked white cornmeal, warm water, butter and cheese into round corn cakes that are grilled until crisp outside and soft inside. The cheese is kneaded right into the dough, so every bite is savoury and gently melty. Colombian arepas are thinner and plainer than the stuffed Venezuelan kind: they are a breakfast bread, split open and filled at the table. One serving is about 220 g, two arepas.

Comfort & Warmth

Golden grilled corn cakes made from white masarepa, with melting cheese kneaded into the dough.

Pairs Well With
Hot chocolate or coffee, with butter and a slice of fresh cheese on the side.

A bowl of ajiaco in a clay bowl, thick golden soup with corn, avocado, capers and shredded chicken

Colombia 1h 30m

Lunch •Bogotá Heritage

Ajiaco

This ajiaco recipe is Bogotá's signature soup: chicken simmered with corn on the cob and three kinds of potato — pastusa, sabanera and criolla — until the criolla melts and thickens the broth golden. The herb guascas gives it its unmistakable earthy flavour, and every bowl is finished at the table with heavy cream, briny capers and sliced avocado. One serving is about 750 g, soup and toppings together.

Comfort & Warmth

Bogotá's thick chicken and potato soup, flavoured with guascas and served with cream, capers and avocado.

Pairs Well With
White rice and a small side salad, with the cream, capers and avocado passed around the table.

Soups & Broths

A mound of Costa Rican gallo pinto — speckled rice and beans — with a fried egg, white cheese and a corn tortilla on a banana leaf

Costa Rica 35m

Breakfast •Costa Rica's National Breakfast

Costa Rican Gallo Pinto

This Costa Rican gallo pinto recipe makes the country's national breakfast: day-old white rice stir-fried with red beans, onion, sweet pepper, garlic and cilantro, finished with tangy Salsa Lizano until every grain is speckled. It is a simple pan, not a one-pot stew — the rice and beans are cooked separately first, then fried together. One serving is about 298 g.

Comfort & Energy

Day-old rice and red beans stir-fried with onion, pepper, cilantro and Salsa Lizano — the breakfast Costa Rica eats every day.

Pairs Well With
Fried egg, fried plantain and a cup of coffee

A Costa Rican casado plate with white rice, black beans, a fried egg, grilled meat with onions, cabbage salad and a fried plantain

Costa Rica 1h 15m

Lunch •Costa Rica's Everyday Lunch Plate

Casado

This casado recipe makes Costa Rica's everyday lunch plate: a mound of white rice next to black beans, a piece of Lizano-marinated chicken, potato picadillo, sweet fried plantain and a crisp cabbage salad, all served side by side and never mixed. The name means 'married', because the rice and beans always appear together. One serving is about 690 g.

Hearty & Balanced

Rice, black beans, Lizano chicken, potato picadillo, fried plantain and cabbage salad on one plate — the lunch Costa Rica eats every day.

Pairs Well With
A cold glass of limeade or a cup of black coffee

A bowl of Costa Rican olla de carne with beef ribs, yuca and potato in broth, with a plate of rice beside it

Costa Rica 2h 25m

Dinner •Costa Rica's Sunday Beef Soup

Olla de Carne

This olla de carne recipe makes Costa Rica's great beef soup: chunks of beef shank simmered slowly until tender, then joined by yuca, taro, potato, sweet potato, chayote, corn and green plantain, all cooked in the same clear broth. The vegetables go in in stages, so each one is tender but still itself. One serving is about 776 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Beef shank simmered for hours with yuca, taro, plantain, corn and chayote in a clear, savoury broth — Costa Rica's big Sunday pot.

Pairs Well With
White rice and warm corn tortillas

Soups & Broths

A peka bell lid glowing among red embers in a stone fireplace

Croatia 3h

Dinner •Dalmatian Bell-Lid Classic

Croatian Peka

This peka recipe is Dalmatia's famous bell-lid roast: chunks of lamb shoulder layered with potatoes, carrots, peppers and tomatoes, splashed with white wine and olive oil, then baked for hours under a heavy dome while the embers do the work. The lid traps steam and smoke, so the meat turns spoon-tender and the potatoes soak up every drop of juice. One serving is about 450 g.

Slow Sunday Roast

Lamb and potatoes slow-roasted under a bell lid buried in embers.

Pairs Well With
Crusty bread & green salad

High Protein

Sliced pašticada beef in dark sweet-sour sauce served over potato gnocchi

Croatia 4h 30m

Dinner •Dalmatian Wedding Classic

Pašticada

This pasticada recipe is Dalmatia's great celebration roast: a whole piece of beef round, larded with garlic and pancetta, marinated overnight in wine vinegar, then braised for hours in red wine, sweet prošek, prunes and root vegetables until the sauce turns dark, glossy and sweet-sour. The beef is sliced, the sauce is blended smooth, and it all goes over potato gnocchi. One serving is about 467 g.

Celebration Pot Roast

Beef braised for hours in a sweet-sour wine and prune sauce, served with gnocchi.

Pairs Well With
Potato gnocchi & red wine

High Protein

Croatian brudet — fish in red tomato sauce served with polenta on a white plate

Croatia 1h 20m

Dinner •Dalmatian Coast Classic

Croatian Brudet

This brudet recipe is the Dalmatian fisherman's stew: at least three kinds of fish, cut into big bone-in chunks, simmered in a sauce of tomato, onion, garlic and white wine with a splash of vinegar and a pinch of chilli. No coconut milk, no cream — just the sea, the tomato and the wine. It is served with soft polenta to soak up the sauce. One serving is about 483 g.

Coastal Fish Stew

Mixed fish simmered in a tomato and white wine sauce, served with polenta.

Pairs Well With
Soft polenta & crusty bread

Soups & Broths

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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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