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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Recipes with Nutrition

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What’s for Dinner TonightFeatured Dinner Recipes from 193 Countries

Showing 409–420 of 2290 dinner recipes

Beshbarmak — sliced boiled lamb and beef over flat hand-torn noodles with tomato and spring onion

Kyrgyzstan 3h 15m

Dinner •Kyrgyz National Dish

Kyrgyz Beshbarmak

This kyrgyz beshbarmak recipe simmers lamb shoulder and beef chuck until they fall apart, then serves the sliced meat over wide, hand-torn noodles with a bowl of hot onion broth, called chyk, poured over the top. One serving is about 580 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Slow-boiled lamb and beef over hand-torn flat noodles, served with a hot onion broth called chyk.

Pairs Well With
Hot chyk onion broth, fresh tomato and spring onion, green tea

Pasta & Noodles • High Protein

Lagman — hand-pulled noodles in a spicy broth with chickpeas, beef, carrot and fresh dill

Kyrgyzstan 2h

Dinner •Dungan Table in Bishkek

Kyrgyz Lagman

This kyrgyz lagman recipe pulls soft dough into long hand-stretched noodles and simmers them in a spicy beef, pepper and tomato broth with chickpeas, carrot and celery, finished with dill and vinegar. One serving is about 620 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Spicy hand-pulled noodles in a beef, pepper and tomato broth with chickpeas and fresh dill.

Pairs Well With
Tomato and onion salad, warm flatbread, hot green tea

Pasta & Noodles

Manty — large steamed beef dumplings on a patterned plate

Kyrgyzstan 1h 40m

Dinner •Kyrgyz Family Favourite

Kyrgyz Manty

This kyrgyz manty recipe wraps a juicy filling of beef, onion and pumpkin in thin dough, steams the big dumplings in a tall multi-tier steamer, and serves them hot with sour cream, vinegar and dill. One serving is about 360 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Big steamed dumplings filled with beef, onion and pumpkin, served with sour cream and vinegar.

Pairs Well With
Cucumber and tomato salad, warm flatbread, hot green tea

High Protein

Lao laab minced chicken salad with sticky rice, cucumber slices and lettuce on a white plate

Laos 25m

Dinner •Lao Heritage

Lao Laab

This lao laab recipe turns minced chicken, toasted rice powder, lime juice and fresh mint into Laos's national minced-meat salad — bright, sour, spicy and deeply herby. The chicken is cooked gently in a splash of water, then tossed while still warm with fish sauce, lime, shallots and a snowfall of nutty toasted rice. One serving is about 210 g, salad and fresh vegetables together.

Fresh & Light

A bright, herby minced chicken salad with lime, toasted rice and mint, served with cucumber and lettuce.

Pairs Well With
Sticky rice and crisp cucumber and lettuce leaves for scooping.

High Protein

Khao piak sen noodle soup in a bowl with chicken, herbs and bean sprouts on the side

Laos 1h 15m

Lunch •Lao Heritage

Khao Piak Sen

This khao piak sen recipe makes Laos's beloved hand-cut noodle soup: springy rice and tapioca noodles, rolled and cut by hand, swimming in a gentle chicken broth scented with lemongrass, galangal and ginger. The noodles are made from just flour and boiling water, and they cook in minutes. One serving is about 560 g, noodles and broth together.

Comfort & Warmth

A gentle chicken broth with springy hand-cut rice and tapioca noodles, finished with herbs, bean sprouts and lime.

Pairs Well With
Fried dough sticks for dunking, with bean sprouts, lime and chilli on the side.

Soups & Broths • Pasta & Noodles

Tam mak hoong Lao green papaya salad with peanuts, pork cracklings and fresh herbs on a white plate

Laos 20m

Lunch •Lao Heritage

Tam Mak Hoong

This tam mak hoong recipe pounds crisp green papaya with lime, padaek, chilli and peanuts into Laos's fiery green papaya salad — the spicier, funkier cousin of Thai som tam. The dressing is dark and pungent from fermented fish sauce, brightened with lime and palm sugar, and the papaya stays crunchy. One serving is about 180 g.

Fresh & Light

Crunchy green papaya pounded with lime, padaek, chilli and peanuts into a funky, fiery Lao salad.

Pairs Well With
Sticky rice and grilled chicken, with pork cracklings for scooping.

A plate of fresh Lebanese tabbouleh with chopped parsley, tomato and bulgur

Lebanon 25m

Lunch •Levantine Mezze Classic

Lebanese Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh is Lebanon's bright green parsley salad, where the herbs lead and fine bulgur plays a supporting role. Diced tomato, green onion and mint are tossed in lemon juice and olive oil for a fresh, lemony bite that wakes up any mezze table. One serving is about 216 g.

Light & Fresh

Mostly fresh parsley and tomato with a little bulgur, dressed in lemon and olive oil.

Pairs Well With
Warm pita bread, hummus and grilled halloumi

A bowl of cold Lebanese hummus with olive oil, whole chickpeas, paprika and parsley

Lebanon 1h 5m

Snack & Tea •Beirut Mezze Classic

Lebanese Hummus

Lebanese hummus is a cold, silky chickpea and tahini dip, lemon-forward with garlic and a pool of olive oil, topped with pine nuts and parsley. It is served chilled or at room temperature as part of a mezze spread, scooped up with warm pita — never served warm as a main plate. One serving is about 110 g.

Plant Protein Snack

Chickpeas and tahini blended into a smooth dip, with lemon, garlic and olive oil.

Pairs Well With
Warm pita bread, tabbouleh and olives

Quick Prep (<30m)

A baked tray of Lebanese kibbeh bil-saniyeh, scored into diamonds with pine nuts

Lebanon 1h 25m

Dinner •Lebanon's National Dish

Lebanese Kibbeh

Kibbeh bil-saniyeh is Lebanon's baked tray kibbeh: two layers of bulgur and lean beef sandwiching a spiced beef and pine-nut filling, scored into diamonds and baked until golden and crisp at the edges. It is the tray-baked form of Lebanon's national dish, made for sharing at the family table. One serving is about 202 g.

Hearty Family Dinner

Layers of bulgur and lean beef around a spiced pine-nut filling, baked until golden.

Pairs Well With
Yogurt, tabbouleh and warm pita bread

A dome of bazin barley dough in a bowl of red lamb stew with potatoes and whole hard-boiled eggs

Libya 2h 10m

Dinner •Libya's National Dish

Libyan Bazin

This bazin recipe builds Libya's national dish from the ground up: barley flour boiled and beaten into a smooth, firm dough, shaped into a dome, and set in a pool of slow-cooked lamb stew with potatoes and hard-boiled eggs. One serving is about 600 g.

Comfort & Warmth

A firm barley dough dome torn by hand and dipped into a rich, spiced lamb stew.

Pairs Well With
Lemon wedges, pickled chillies and mint tea

A platter of Libyan couscous in red spiced sauce with vegetables, green chillies and meat

Libya 2h

Dinner •Tripoli Friday Table

Libyan Couscous with Lamb and Vegetables

This libyan couscous recipe steams fine semolina over a bubbling pot of lamb in a spicy hararat tomato sauce, with pumpkin, potato, carrot and zucchini and a separate fried onion and chickpea topping. One serving is about 600 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Fine steamed semolina under a spicy red lamb sauce with pumpkin, chickpeas and a fried onion topping.

Pairs Well With
Fried green chillies, pickled chillies and mint tea

A plate of mbakbaka — small pasta in a red tomato sauce with lamb chunks and a green chilli

Libya 1h 15m

Dinner •Libyan Home Classic

Libyan Mbakbaka

This mbakbaka recipe is Libya's one-pot pasta: lamb, potato and chickpeas simmered in a spicy tomato sauce, then small ditalini pasta cooked right in the same pot until tender, soaking up the sauce as it goes. One serving is about 550 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Small pasta simmered in a spicy lamb and tomato sauce until it drinks up all the flavour.

Pairs Well With
Crusty bread, lemon wedges and a green salad

Pasta & Noodles

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