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 421–432 of 2290 dinner recipes

Nasi lemak — coconut rice with crispy fried chicken, red sambal, omelette, peanuts and cucumber in a takeaway box

Malaysia 1h 10m

Breakfast •Malaysian Heritage

Nasi Lemak

This nasi lemak recipe brings Malaysia's national breakfast to your own table: rice steamed in coconut milk with pandan, a dark, sweet-hot sambal, golden turmeric fried chicken, and the classic little pile of crispy anchovies, roasted peanuts, boiled egg and cool cucumber. One serving is about 465 g.

Hearty & Satisfying

A full Malaysian breakfast plate — fragrant coconut rice with sambal, crispy chicken, egg, anchovies, peanuts and cucumber.

Pairs Well With
A spoonful of hot sambal and cool cucumber slices, with teh tarik or iced lime tea.

Char kway teow on a green plate — glossy flat rice noodles with fried egg, cockles, bean sprouts and garlic chives

Malaysia 25m

Dinner •Penang Street-Food Icon

Char Kway Teow

This char kway teow recipe tosses wide flat rice noodles in a blazing-hot wok with garlic, soy sauce, chilli paste, prawns, cockles, Chinese sausage, egg, bean sprouts and garlic chives, so the noodles pick up the smoky char called wok hei. Cook one plate at a time, exactly like a hawker stall, and eat it straight from the wok. One serving is about 475 g.

Smoky & Satisfying

Flat rice noodles seared over fierce heat with prawns, cockles, egg and bean sprouts — a fast, smoky Malaysian hawker dinner.

Pairs Well With
Pickled green chillies, cucumber slices, and iced lime tea or teh o ais

Pasta & Noodles • Quick Prep (<30m)

A white bowl of curry laksa in orange coconut curry broth with tofu puffs, fish balls, spring onions and fried shallots

Malaysia 50m

Lunch •Malaysian Hawker Classic

Curry Laksa

This curry laksa recipe simmers a spiced rempah paste with coconut milk and chicken stock into a rich orange broth, then pours it over rice vermicelli and egg noodles with shredded chicken, tofu puffs and crisp bean sprouts. One serving is about 703 g.

Comfort & Warmth

A rich, spiced coconut curry noodle soup with chicken, tofu puffs and bean sprouts.

Pairs Well With
Cool cucumber salad and a glass of iced lime tea

Soups & Broths • Pasta & Noodles

Mas huni — a mound of finely shredded tuna and grated coconut with red onion and chilli, served on a plate

Maldives 15m

Breakfast •Maldivian Breakfast Classic

Mas Huni

This mas huni recipe is the Maldives' classic breakfast: shredded smoked tuna folded through freshly grated coconut with red onion, green chilli and lime juice, mixed by hand until fragrant and just moist. It takes 15 minutes, needs no cooking, and is scooped up with warm roshi flatbread and a cup of sweet black tea. One serving is about 153 g of mas huni.

Fresh & Filling

Shredded tuna and fresh coconut with onion, chilli and lime — a light, protein-rich Maldivian breakfast eaten with warm roshi flatbread.

Pairs Well With
Warm roshi and sweet black tea

High Protein • Quick Prep (<30m)

A metal bowl of garudhiya — clear Maldivian tuna broth with chunks of cooked tuna

Maldives 40m

Lunch •Maldivian Everyday Staple

Garudhiya

This garudhiya recipe is the Maldives' everyday clear tuna soup: chunks of fresh tuna simmered gently in salted water with onion, garlic, ginger, curry leaves and a dried chilli, skimmed until the broth runs clear, then finished with lime. It is light, clean-tasting and deeply savoury, and it is usually ladled over steamed rice with lime wedges, sliced onion and fresh chilli on the side. One serving is about 570 g.

Light & Comforting

Fresh tuna simmered in a clear, lightly seasoned broth with onion, curry leaves and lime — a light, high-protein Maldivian lunch.

Pairs Well With
Steamed rice, lime wedges, sliced onion and fresh chilli

Soups & Broths • High Protein

A pink bowl of mas riha, Maldivian tuna curry in a creamy coconut sauce, with papadhu crisps beside it

Maldives 55m

Dinner •Maldivian Island Classic

Mas Riha

Mas riha is the Maldives' classic tuna curry: chunks of fresh tuna simmered in a fragrant coconut milk sauce built on a ground paste of onion, garlic, ginger, chilli and curry leaves. What sets it apart from Thai and Indian fish curries is the Maldivian base — no lemongrass, galangal or tomato-onion masala, just coconut, pandan and curry leaves, with the coconut milk stirred in at the end so the sauce stays silky. One serving is about 430 g.

Rich & Comforting

Fresh tuna simmered in a creamy coconut curry with curry leaves, chilli and warm island spices — the Maldives' everyday fish curry.

Pairs Well With
Steamed rice or roshi flatbread, with a cup of hot black tea.

High Protein

Two golden flaky Maltese pastizzi on a small dark plate

Malta 1h 25m

Snack & Tea •Malta Heritage

Maltese Pastizzi

Pastizzi are Malta's national snack: diamond-shaped parcels of flaky, filo-style pastry filled with creamy ricotta or curried mushy peas, baked until golden and shatteringly crisp. This pastizzi recipe makes both classic fillings — ten ricotta pastizzi tal-irkotta and ten pea pastizzi tal-piżelli — using filo sheets layered with melted butter, the home cook's shortcut to the traditional dough that is stretched and folded with layers of fat, again and again, until it flakes. One serving (two pastizzi, one of each) is about 104 g.

Flaky & Satisfying

Crisp, shattering filo-style pastry wrapped around creamy ricotta or warmly spiced mushy peas — Malta's beloved street snack, made at home.

Pairs Well With
Chilled Kinnie & tomato salad

Maltese rabbit stew, stuffat tal-fenek, in a rich red tomato and wine sauce with chips and salad

Malta 2h 50m

Dinner •Malta's National Dish

Maltese Rabbit Stew

This maltese rabbit stew recipe, known in Malta as stuffat tal-fenek, starts with rabbit marinated overnight in red wine and garlic, then braised low and slow in tomato, bay and herbs until the meat slips from the bone. Potatoes, carrots and peas go into the same pot, so they soak up the dark, rich sauce. One serving is about 680 g.

Comfort & Warmth

A slow-braised rabbit stew in red wine and tomato, with potatoes, carrots and peas cooked in the sauce.

Pairs Well With
Serve with spaghetti tossed in the sauce as a first course, then the rabbit with crusty Maltese bread and a glass of dry red wine.

High Protein

A glass bowl of Maltese bigilla — swirled broad bean dip topped with chopped parsley, paprika and red chilli

Malta 1h 15m

Snack & Tea •Malta Mezze Classic

Maltese Bigilla

Bigilla is Malta's traditional broad bean dip — dried fava beans soaked overnight, simmered until falling-apart soft, then mashed with garlic, olive oil, lemon, chilli and fresh herbs into a thick, earthy paste. It is not hummus: the base is broad bean, not chickpea, so the flavour is deeper and more rustic, with a warm chilli finish instead of tahini. Served cold with galletti crackers or crusty Maltese bread, it is the centrepiece of a Maltese mezze. One serving is about 84 g.

Plant Protein Snack

Dried broad beans mashed with garlic, olive oil, lemon and herbs into a thick, savoury dip.

Pairs Well With
Galletti crackers, crusty Maltese bread and olives

A whole tilapia braised in creamy coconut milk with tomato and a green chilli, served on a white plate

Marshall Islands 45m

Dinner •Marshall Islands Home Cooking

Marshallese Coconut Fish

This marshallese coconut fish recipe simmers whole tilapia in creamy coconut milk with onion, tomato, ginger and a single green chilli, the way Marshallese home cooks have long cooked the day's catch. The sauce stays pale and mild rather than spiced, so the sweetness of the fish and the coconut comes through in every spoonful. Serve it with steamed rice to soak up the sauce. One serving is about 438 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Whole fish gently braised in coconut milk with tomato, ginger and lime — mild, filling and easy to make in one pot.

Pairs Well With
Steamed rice and fresh coconut water, with lime wedges on the side

High Protein

Three whole tropical fish grilling over charcoal on a rustic grill

Marshall Islands 50m

Dinner •Majuro's Reef Grill

Marshallese Grilled Fish

This marshallese grilled fish recipe takes one whole red snapper, scores it, rubs it with lime, garlic and soy sauce, and grills it over coconut-husk coals until the skin crisps and the flesh flakes. It is served with coconut rice and lime wedges, the way it is eaten at home in the Marshall Islands. One serving is about 418 g.

Simple & Smoky

A whole reef fish grilled over coconut-husk coals with lime and soy, served with coconut rice.

Pairs Well With
Coconut rice, lime wedges and grilled pineapple

High Protein

Banana in coconut milk — soft banana pieces in creamy white coconut milk served in a coconut-shell bowl

Marshall Islands 25m

Snack & Tea •Marshall Islands Home Dessert

Marshallese Banana in Coconut Milk

This banana in coconut milk recipe simmers ripe but firm bananas in sweetened, lightly salted coconut milk until they turn pale, soft and fragrant, with a splash of vanilla and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds. It is the Marshall Islands' simple island dessert: two staple foods, one pot, no fuss. One serving is about 234 g.

Sweet & Comforting

Ripe bananas simmered in sweetened coconut milk with a pinch of salt — a warm, gentle dessert made in one pot.

Pairs Well With
Fresh tropical fruit and unsweetened hot tea

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

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Central African Republic

Chad

Chile

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Democratic Republic of the Congo

Republic of the Congo

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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