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 613–624 of 2301 dinner recipes

A pot of chicken tinola with bone-in chicken pieces, chunks of green papaya and knotted lemongrass stalks in a clear golden ginger broth

Palau 1h 5m

Dinner •Palau's Island Chicken Soup

Palauan Tinola

This palauan tinola recipe simmers bone-in chicken in a clear, gingery broth until the meat is falling off the bone, then adds green papaya and moringa leaves that turn tender and sweet in the hot soup. It is the kind of bowl Palauan families put on the table on a rainy evening: light, warming and deeply savoury, with the ginger doing most of the talking. One serving is about 515 g of soup, and the pot is ready in 65 minutes.

Comfort & Warmth

A clear ginger broth with bone-in chicken, green papaya and leafy greens, served hot with steamed rice.

Pairs Well With
Steamed rice, calamansi or lime wedges & a cold drink

Soups & Broths • High Protein

Samoan pisupo and supoketi — shredded tinned corned beef spaghetti in tomato sauce served with white rice on a dark plate

Samoa 35m

Dinner •Samoan Heritage

Samoan Pisupo and Supoketi

This pisupo and supoketi recipe is Samoa's beloved pantry dinner: shredded tinned corned beef — pisupo — simmered with onion and garlic in a rich tomato sauce, then tossed through spaghetti (supoketi) until every strand is coated in the salty, savoury beef, and served with a mound of white rice. It is the dish Samoan families reach for when the cupboard, not the fridge, decides dinner: two tins of corned beef, a packet of pasta and an onion, on the table in about 35 minutes. One serving is about 620 g.

Hearty & Comforting

Shredded tinned corned beef simmered in a tomato-onion sauce and tossed through spaghetti, served with white rice — a filling Samoan pantry dinner.

Pairs Well With
White rice, cucumber & tomato salad & iced lemon tea

Pasta & Noodles • High Protein

A grilled boerewors sausage in a soft white roll with sautéed onions, served with fries on a blue plate on a wooden table

South Africa 35m

Lunch •South African Braai Heritage

Boerewors Roll

This boerewors roll recipe grills juicy boerewors over hot coals, the way it is done at a South African braai, then tucks the sausage into a soft buttered roll with sautéed onions and a quick tomato-onion relish. It is street food you can hold in one hand and the first thing to disappear from any braai table. One serving is about 304 g.

Hearty & Satisfying

A grilled beef sausage in a soft roll with tomato-onion relish — the filling, hand-held centrepiece of a South African braai lunch.

Pairs Well With
Serve with chakalaka or a simple green salad and an ice-cold rooibos iced tea or lager.

Grilled suya beef pieces with sliced red onions and red pepper sauce on a white plate

Nigeria 1h 10m

Dinner •Nigerian Heritage

Suya

This suya recipe is Nigeria's most famous street food: thin slices of beef coated in yaji, a nutty peanut-spice rub, grilled over charcoal until smoky and charred at the edges, then sliced off the skewers and served with raw onion, tomato and cabbage. Unlike plain grilled skewers, suya gets its flavour from the yaji itself — ground peanuts, cayenne, ginger, garlic and warm spices pressed onto the meat before and after grilling. One serving is about 275 g.

High-Protein Street Food

Thin beef slices coated in yaji, a ground-peanut and chilli spice rub, threaded on skewers and grilled over charcoal.

Pairs Well With
Sliced red onion, tomato and cabbage, with extra yaji for sprinkling, and a cold drink

High Protein

A stack of golden-spotted Kenyan chapatis on a white plate

Kenya 1h 15m

Dinner •Kenya Everyday Bread

Kenyan Chapati

This kenyan chapati recipe makes eight soft, golden flatbreads with delicate oil layers that peel apart as you tear them. Unlike the crisp wholewheat parathas of South Asia, Kenyan chapati is made from white flour, rolled thin, brushed with oil, coiled and flattened again, so it stays soft and pliable for scooping up stew. One serving is about 205 g (two chapatis).

Comfort & Warmth

Soft white-flour flatbread, layered with oil and pan-fried golden — Kenya's everyday bread for scooping up stews.

Pairs Well With
Serve warm with Kenyan beef stew, ndengu (green grams) or a cup of spiced Kenyan chai.

Hyderabadi chicken biryani — saffron rice topped with crisp fried onions and a chicken drumstick, served in a copper handi with raita

India 1h 55m

Dinner •Hyderabadi Heritage

Chicken Biryani

This chicken biryani recipe is the Hyderabadi classic: fragrant basmati rice layered with yogurt-marinated chicken, saffron, crisp fried onions (birista) and fresh mint, sealed tight and slow-cooked on dum until the steam has married every flavour. It is the most-searched Indian dish in the world, and the one every biryani is measured against. One serving is about 433 g.

Hyderabad's Celebration Feast

Layered saffron rice and spiced chicken sealed and slow-cooked on dum — Hyderabad's classic biryani.

Pairs Well With
Cucumber raita & mirchi ka salan

High Protein

Four grilled mutton seekh kebabs on a white plate with onion rings, tomato, lime and a small bowl of green chutney

Pakistan 50m

Dinner •Lahore Heritage

Seekh Kebab

This seekh kebab recipe is Pakistan's favourite barbecue: spiced lamb and beef mince, kneaded with onion, green chilli, fresh coriander and garam masala, then moulded by hand into long cylinders on flat metal skewers and grilled over charcoal until the edges char. It is served hot with warm naan, cool mint raita and a crunchy onion and tomato salad. One serving is about 402 g.

Pakistan's Charcoal-Grilled Classic

Spiced lamb and beef mince moulded onto skewers and grilled over charcoal until charred at the edges — the kebab every Pakistani barbecue is built around.

Pairs Well With
Warm naan, mint raita & kachumber salad

High Protein

A whole roasted Cebu lechon pig with glossy reddish-brown crackling skin, head and ears intact, displayed on a wooden board in a glass case at an airport food stall

Philippines 6h 30m

Dinner •Cebu Heritage

Lechon

This lechon recipe is the Cebu way: a whole pig stuffed with lemongrass, garlic, spring onions and black pepper, sewn shut, then turned slowly on a spit over charcoal for five hours until the skin is glass-crisp and the meat is juicy. One serving is about 200 g.

Feast & Celebration

A whole pig stuffed with lemongrass and garlic, spit-roasted over charcoal until the skin shatters — the centrepiece of a Filipino feast.

Pairs Well With
Steamed rice, atchara and spiced cane vinegar

Jamaican oxtail stew with butter beans and carrot rounds in a thick brown gravy, served in a white bowl

Jamaica 3h 45m

Dinner •Jamaican Heritage

Jamaican Oxtail Stew

This jamaican oxtail stew recipe seasons bone-in oxtail with allspice, thyme and soy sauce, browns it in burnt sugar, then braises it low and slow for hours until the meat is meltingly tender. Butter beans and carrots go in near the end, soaking up the dark, glossy gravy. One serving is about 450 g.

Rich & Comforting

Oxtail slow-braised with butter beans, scotch bonnet and allspice until the meat falls off the bone in a thick, savoury gravy.

Pairs Well With
Rice and peas with fried plantain and a little steamed cabbage on the side.

High Protein

A Ya Kun kaya toast breakfast set on a tray: kaya and butter toast on a white plate, a cup of soft-boiled eggs, a cup of kopi, with ngo hiang and a glass of iced lemon tea beside them

Singapore 15m

Breakfast •Kopitiam Breakfast Heritage

Singapore Kaya Toast

This singapore kaya toast recipe makes the classic kopitiam breakfast set: thin white bread toasted until crisp, spread thick with pandan-scented kaya (coconut-egg jam) and a cold slab of salted butter, served with two soft-boiled eggs cracked into a bowl with dark soy sauce and white pepper, and a cup of kopi sweetened with condensed milk. One serving is about 381 g.

Quick & Comforting

Crisp charcoal-style toast with sweet coconut-egg kaya and cold butter, served with soft-boiled eggs and kopi — a light, warming start to the day.

Pairs Well With
Soft-boiled eggs with dark soy sauce and white pepper, and hot kopi

Quick Prep (<30m)

A folded Trinidad dhalpuri roti beside curry channa and potato and curry shrimp on a plate

Trinidad and Tobago 1h 30m

Lunch •Trinidadian Heritage

Trinidad Dhalpuri Roti

This trinidad dhalpuri roti recipe makes four soft, golden flatbreads, each one stuffed with a savoury filling of ground yellow split peas seasoned with garlic, geera (cumin) and hot pepper. The filling is sealed inside the dough, the roti is rolled thin and cooked on a hot griddle until it puffs and freckles, then it is folded around curry and eaten warm. One serving is about 250 g.

Filling & Comforting

A soft flour roti stuffed with seasoned ground yellow split peas, rolled thin and griddle-cooked until golden.

Pairs Well With
Warm dhalpuri roti wrapped around curry channa and aloo, with pumpkin talkari and pepper sauce

A slice of Bahamian guava duff — steamed guava-filled dough roll — covered in creamy butter-rum sauce on a patterned plate

Bahamas 1h 50m

Snack & Tea •Nassau Heritage

Bahamian Guava Duff

This bahamian guava duff recipe is the Bahamas' signature dessert: ripe guava simmered with sugar, cinnamon and allspice, spread over a soft sweet dough, rolled into a log and steamed for an hour until the spiral of pink fruit and pale dough is tender right through. It is sliced thick and served warm, with a spoonful of butter-rum sauce melting down over every slice. One serving is about 238 g (one thick slice with sauce).

Island Dessert & Celebration

Fresh guava rolled in a sweet dough, steamed until tender and sliced warm with a butter-rum sauce.

Pairs Well With
Butter-rum sauce, vanilla ice cream & a cup of 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

Albania

Algeria

Andorra

Angola

Antigua and Barbuda

Argentina

Armenia

Australia

Austria

Azerbaijan

Bahamas

Bahrain

Bangladesh

Barbados

Belarus

Belgium

Belize

Benin

Bhutan

Bolivia

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Botswana

Brazil

Brunei

Bulgaria

Burkina Faso

Burundi

Cabo Verde

Cambodia

Cameroon

Canada

Central African Republic

Chad

Chile

China

Colombia

Comoros

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Republic of the Congo

Costa Rica

Croatia

Cuba

Cyprus

Czechia

Côte d'Ivoire

Denmark

Djibouti

Dominica

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

Egypt

El Salvador

Equatorial Guinea

Eritrea

Estonia

Eswatini

Ethiopia

Fiji

Finland

France

Gabon

Gambia

Georgia

Germany

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Guinea-Bissau

Guyana

Haiti

Honduras

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Iceland

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Indonesia

Iran

Iraq

Ireland

Israel

Italy

Jamaica

Japan

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Kenya

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Laos

Latvia

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Lesotho

Liberia

Libya

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Luxembourg

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Mali

Malta

Marshall Islands

Mauritania

Mauritius

Mexico

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Mozambique

Myanmar

Namibia

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Nepal

Netherlands

New Zealand

Nicaragua

Niger

Nigeria

North Korea

North Macedonia

Norway

Oman

Pakistan

Palau

Panama

Papua New Guinea

Paraguay

Peru

Philippines

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

Seychelles

Sierra Leone

Singapore

Slovakia

Slovenia

Solomon Islands

Somalia

South Africa

South Korea

South Sudan

Spain

Sri Lanka

Sudan

Suriname

Sweden

Switzerland

Syria

Tajikistan

Tanzania

Thailand

Timor-Leste

Togo

Tonga

Trinidad and Tobago

Tunisia

Turkey

Turkmenistan

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Uganda

Ukraine

United Arab Emirates

United Kingdom

United States

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Uzbekistan

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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.

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