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 565–576 of 2301 dinner recipes

A pile of golden-brown baked Uzbek samsa with blistered flaky pastry, one split open to show the lamb filling

Uzbekistan 1h 30m

Snack & Tea •Tashkent Heritage

Samsa

This samsa recipe makes 12 golden, flaky Uzbek lamb pastries: hand-chopped lamb and sweet onion, seasoned with cumin and black pepper, folded into squares of layered pastry and baked until the crust blisters. In Uzbekistan the parcels are pressed onto the hot clay walls of a tandoor; at home a hot oven gives the same crisp, golden finish. One serving is about 225 g (2 samsa).

Hearty & Satisfying

Flaky baked pastry parcels filled with hand-chopped lamb, sweet onion and cumin — a filling, savoury snack from Uzbekistan's tandoor bakeries.

Pairs Well With
Achichuk — a sharp tomato and onion salad — and a pot of green tea.

Pabellón Criollo plate with shredded beef, black beans, fried plantain, a fried egg and grated white cheese over white rice

Venezuela 3h

Lunch •Venezuelan National Dish

Pabellón Criollo

This pabellon criollo recipe is Venezuela's national plate: slow-braised shredded beef in a pepper and tomato sofrito, creamy black beans, fluffy white rice, sweet fried plantains and a fried egg, finished with grated white cheese. One serving is about 680 g.

Hearty & Satisfying

A complete plate of beef, beans, rice, plantain and egg that keeps you full for hours.

Pairs Well With
Serve with a cold papelón con limón or a light beer, and a simple avocado salad on the side.

Two golden grilled Venezuelan arepas in a wicker basket lined with white paper

Venezuela 40m

Breakfast •Caracas Heritage

Venezuelan Arepas

This Venezuelan arepas recipe starts with just pre-cooked white cornmeal, warm water and salt, kneaded into a soft dough and shaped into thick cakes. They grill until crisp and golden outside and soft inside, finish in a hot oven so they puff, then get split open and stuffed with melted mozzarella, crumbled queso fresco, creamy avocado and tomato. Venezuelan arepas are the thick, stuffed kind: a whole breakfast you can hold in one hand. One serving is about 275 g, one stuffed arepa.

Comfort & Warmth

Thick grilled corn cakes made from white masarepa, split open like a pocket and stuffed with melting cheese, avocado and tomato.

Pairs Well With
Fresh orange juice or coffee, with a bowl of black beans or scrambled eggs on the side.

Two hallacas wrapped in banana leaves and tied with string, served on a plate with slices of pan de jamón

Venezuela 5h

Dinner •Venezuela's Christmas Dish

Hallacas

This hallacas recipe makes 12 golden parcels of annatto-coloured corn dough filled with a rich three-meat guiso, garnished with pepper, onion, olives, capers and raisins, then folded in banana leaves and boiled. One hallaca is about 300 g, a full festive dinner on its own. Hallacas are Venezuela's Christmas dish, made in big family batches and served with pan de jamón.

Festive & Filling

Golden annatto corn dough wrapped around a slow-cooked stew of beef, pork and chicken, folded in banana leaves — the parcel Venezuelan families gather to make every December.

Pairs Well With
Pan de jamón and ensalada de gallina, with a glass of ponche crema

Saltah — Yemen's lamb and potato stew with fenugreek froth, bubbling in a dark stone pot and scattered with fresh cilantro

Yemen 2h

Dinner •Sana'a Heritage

Saltah

This saltah recipe is Yemen's national dish: lamb and potatoes simmered in a spiced tomato broth, finished with ribbons of egg and crowned with hilbeh, a pale, airy froth of whipped fenugreek. It arrives at the table still bubbling in its stone pot, with warm flatbread for scooping. One serving is about 625 g.

Hearty National Stew & Shared Table

Boneless lamb simmered with potatoes, tomatoes and egg in a rich broth, served bubbling in a stone pot under a cloud of whipped fenugreek hilbeh.

Pairs Well With
Warm Yemeni flatbread (khubz), sahawiq chilli relish & fresh cilantro

High Protein

Yemeni malawah — a golden, flaky layered flatbread on a white plate with sliced hard-boiled egg, tomato resek and a fresh salad

Yemen 1h 55m

Breakfast •Yemenite Jewish Heritage

Yemeni Malawah

This yemeni malawah recipe turns a simple dough of flour, water and a little sugar into four golden, flaky flatbreads, each one rolled thin, smeared with butter, folded and coiled, then fried until the layers puff and crisp. Torn by hand and eaten with sliced hard-boiled egg and a spoonful of grated tomato resek, it is the unhurried breakfast of the Yemenite Jewish community. One serving is about 318 g.

Flaky Breakfast Flatbread & Shared Plate

A laminated flatbread of flour, water and butter, rolled thin, folded and pan-fried until golden, served torn with hard-boiled egg and tomato resek.

Pairs Well With
Hard-boiled egg, tomato resek, zhug & sweet mint tea

Fahsa in a black stone pot, the bubbling lamb stew topped with pale fenugreek froth, with mulawah flatbread beside it

Yemen 3h 15m

Dinner •Yemeni Heritage

Fahsa

This fahsa recipe is Yemen's great stone-pot stew: boneless lamb shoulder simmers for hours in its own broth until it shreds with a fork, then goes back into a heated madara stone pot with tomatoes, green chilli and hawaij spices, and is finished with hilbah, the pale whipped fenugreek froth that gives the dish its tangy lift. It arrives at the table still bubbling, to be scooped up with torn pieces of flatbread. One serving is about 452 g.

Bubbling Stone-Pot Comfort

Shredded lamb simmered in its own rich broth, finished with whipped fenugreek froth and served bubbling hot in a stone pot.

Pairs Well With
Mulawah flatbread, sahawiq & hot mint tea

High Protein

Golden, crispy shrimp fritters served on a banana leaf in a woven basket, with a small bowl of dipping sauce — ukoy photographed in Vigan, Philippines, the same shrimp-fritter dish known as ulkoy in Palau

Palau 40m

Snack & Tea •Palau's Island Snack

Palauan Ulkoy

This palauan ulkoy recipe turns small shrimp and grated squash into crisp, golden fritters with a light, lacy edge. The squash keeps the inside soft and faintly sweet while the shrimp on top fry up crunchy, and a sharp vinegar-soy dip cuts through the richness. One serving is about 245 g — three fritters with dipping sauce — and the whole batch is ready in 40 minutes.

Crisp Snack & Sharing

Crisp shrimp and squash fritters with a sharp vinegar dip, made for sharing hot from the pan.

Pairs Well With
Sharp vinegar-soy dipping sauce, lime wedges & a cold drink

Tonga 3h 20m

Dinner •Tongan Home Cooking

Tongan Kapisi Pulu

This tongan kapisi pulu recipe starts with a whole corned beef brisket simmered gently in water with onion, garlic, peppercorns and bay leaves until it is tender enough to slice, then the cabbage goes into the same pot and cooks in the rich beef broth until soft and sweet. There is no coconut cream, no taro leaf and no parcel here — just sliced pink beef and a generous pile of cooked cabbage on the plate, the way Tongan families serve it. One serving is about 384 g.

Hearty & Comforting

Corned beef brisket simmered slowly with cabbage, onion and garlic, then sliced and served with the soft, savoury cabbage it cooked in.

Pairs Well With
Boiled taro, wholegrain mustard, and iced tea with lemon

Three golden Tongan coconut bread loaves on a wooden board

Tonga 2h 25m

Snack & Tea •Tongan Heritage

Tongan Keke 'Isite

Tongan keke isite recipe: soft yeasted loaves made with coconut milk and desiccated coconut, baked golden as eight small loaves with a tender, lightly sweet crumb. Unlike the Caribbean coconut breads raised with baking powder, this Tongan bake rises slowly on yeast, so the crumb is airy and bread-like rather than cake-like. One serving is about 110 g.

Comfort & Afternoon Tea

A soft, coconut-scented sweet bread for afternoon tea, best eaten warm from the oven.

Pairs Well With
Hot black tea, guava jam & fresh fruit

Whole baked reef fish with lemon slices, Funafuti, Tuvalu

Tuvalu 45m

Dinner •Funafuti Lunch

Tuvaluan Baked Fish

This tuvaluan baked fish recipe wraps a whole red snapper in foil with lemon slices and lemon juice, then bakes it until the flesh steams tender and flakes cleanly off the bone. There is no coconut milk, no marinade and no grill — just lemon, salt, pepper and a little olive oil, the way fish is cooked for lunch in Funafuti, Tuvalu. It is served with plain steamed rice. One serving is about 375 g.

Light & Lemon-Bright

A whole reef fish steamed in its own foil parcel with lemon only, served with plain steamed rice.

Pairs Well With
Steamed rice, lemon wedges, and chilled coconut water

A whole golden-brown loaf of banana bread cooling on a wire rack

United States 1h 15m

Breakfast •American Heritage

Banana Bread

This banana bread recipe turns four very ripe bananas into a moist, golden loaf with a tender crumb, a crackled top and crunchy walnuts in every slice. It is a one-bowl quick bread: no yeast, no mixer, no fuss — just mash, stir and bake. One serving is about 107 g.

Cozy & Comforting

A moist, golden loaf of mashed ripe bananas, butter and walnuts — the classic American way to rescue overripe bananas.

Pairs Well With
Salted butter, a smear of cream cheese & hot coffee

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

Albania

Algeria

Andorra

Angola

Antigua and Barbuda

Argentina

Armenia

Australia

Austria

Azerbaijan

Bahamas

Bahrain

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Bosnia and Herzegovina

Botswana

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Burkina Faso

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Cameroon

Canada

Central African Republic

Chad

Chile

China

Colombia

Comoros

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Republic of the Congo

Costa Rica

Croatia

Cuba

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Côte d'Ivoire

Denmark

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Dominica

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

Egypt

El Salvador

Equatorial Guinea

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Estonia

Eswatini

Ethiopia

Fiji

Finland

France

Gabon

Gambia

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Guinea-Bissau

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Iceland

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Iran

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Ireland

Israel

Italy

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Japan

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Laos

Latvia

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Luxembourg

Madagascar

Malawi

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Maldives

Mali

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Niger

Nigeria

North Korea

North Macedonia

Norway

Oman

Pakistan

Palau

Panama

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Paraguay

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Poland

Portugal

Qatar

Romania

Russia

Rwanda

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Lucia

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Samoa

San Marino

São Tomé and Príncipe

Saudi Arabia

Senegal

Serbia

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Sierra Leone

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Suriname

Sweden

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Syria

Tajikistan

Tanzania

Thailand

Timor-Leste

Togo

Tonga

Trinidad and Tobago

Tunisia

Turkey

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Uganda

Ukraine

United Arab Emirates

United Kingdom

United States

Uruguay

Uzbekistan

Vanuatu

Venezuela

Vietnam

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.