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 817–828 of 2311 dinner recipes

A pot of galinhada with golden turmeric rice, chicken pieces, peas, sweetcorn and carrots

Brazil 1h 5m

Dinner •Minas Gerais Classic

Galinhada

This galinhada recipe browns bone-in chicken thighs, then cooks long-grain rice in the same pot with onion, tomato, peppers, carrot, peas and sweetcorn, coloured golden with turmeric and cumin. It is Brazil's answer to chicken and rice: one pot, no fuss, and the rice drinks up every bit of the chicken's flavour. It differs from Panama's arroz con pollo — there are no olives, capers or raisins here, just turmeric, cumin and garden vegetables. One serving is about 417 g.

Family Comfort

Golden one-pot chicken and rice with turmeric, peppers, peas and sweetcorn — the everyday family dinner of Minas Gerais.

Pairs Well With
Sauteed collard greens, vinaigrette salad & lime

Shredded cochinita pibil, deep red from achiote, piled in a bowl

Mexico 4h 30m

Dinner •Yucatan Heritage

Cochinita Pibil

This cochinita pibil recipe marinates pork shoulder in achiote, sour orange and garlic, then slow-roasts it in banana leaf until it shreds with a fork. Unlike tacos al pastor, which is thin-sliced pork grilled on a vertical spit, this is a whole shoulder roasted low and slow. One serving is about 210 g.

Bold & Satisfying

Slow-roasted pork shoulder marinated in achiote and sour orange, wrapped in banana leaf.

Pairs Well With
Warm corn tortillas and pickled red onion

High Protein

A bowl of penne arrabbiata in a bright tomato and chilli sauce with basil

Italy 35m

Dinner •Rome Heritage

Penne Arrabbiata

This penne arrabbiata recipe tosses penne in a fast, fiery tomato sauce with garlic, dried chilli and basil — a Roman classic that is on the table in 35 minutes. The traditional version is often finished with Pecorino Romano, but this one leaves the cheese out, so it stays vegan. One serving is about 450 g.

Quick & Comforting

Penne in a fast, fiery tomato and chilli sauce — a Roman weeknight classic.

Pairs Well With
A green salad and crusty bread

Pasta & Noodles • Quick Prep (<30m)

A crisp duck confit leg with roasted Brussels sprouts on a white plate

France 3h

Dinner •Gascony Heritage

Confit de Canard

This duck confit recipe cures duck legs in salt, garlic and thyme, then cooks them slowly in their own fat until the meat falls off the bone and the skin turns crisp. It is a different dish from roast duck or Peking duck — the slow fat bath is what makes it confit. One serving is about 200 g.

Rich & Comforting

Duck legs salt-cured, then cooked slowly in their own fat until meltingly tender.

Pairs Well With
Potatoes cooked in duck fat and a bitter salad

High Protein

Arroz negro, black squid-ink rice with prawns, in a paella pan

Spain 1h

Dinner •Valencia Coast Heritage

Arroz Negro

This arroz negro recipe cooks Bomba rice in fish stock darkened with squid ink, with tender squid and prawns on top. It is not a paella valenciana — that dish is golden with saffron and made with chicken and rabbit, while this one is black with ink and built on seafood. One serving is about 310 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Black squid-ink rice with squid and prawns, cooked in one wide pan.

Pairs Well With
A green salad, alioli and crusty bread

A bowl of gyudon with thinly sliced simmered beef and onions over white rice

Japan 35m

Dinner •Tokyo Beef Bowl

Gyudon

This gyudon recipe simmers thinly sliced beef and onions in a sweet-savoury broth of dashi, soy sauce, mirin and sake until the onions turn silky, then spoons the whole lot over steaming jasmine rice. One serving is about 390 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Paper-thin beef and sweet onions simmered in a dashi, soy and mirin broth, spooned over hot rice.

Pairs Well With
Miso soup, pickled ginger and a soft-cooked egg

High Protein

Golden Thai fish cakes on a plate with sweet chilli sauce, cucumber and shallots

Thailand 35m

Snack & Tea •Thai Street Snack

Thai Fish Cakes

This Thai fish cakes recipe pounds white fish into a springy paste with red curry paste, kaffir lime leaf and green beans, then fries it into golden, bouncy cakes served with a cool cucumber relish. One serving is about 205 g.

Crispy & Spicy

Bouncy fish-paste cakes with red curry paste, lime leaf and long beans, fried golden and dipped in sweet cucumber relish.

Pairs Well With
Sweet cucumber relish, steamed rice and iced Thai tea

Two glass cups of Vietnamese egg coffee with thick pale whipped topping, set in bowls of hot water

Vietnam 15m

Breakfast •Hanoi Cafe Classic

Vietnamese Egg Coffee

This Vietnamese egg coffee recipe whips egg yolks with sweetened condensed milk into a thick, pale cream and spoons it over strong, hot robusta coffee, so each sip is bitter coffee softened by a dessert-like foam. One serving is about 190 g.

Rich & Comforting

Strong robusta coffee under a thick, sweet cloud of whipped egg yolk and condensed milk — Hanoi's most famous cup.

Pairs Well With
A small glass of iced tea and a buttered banh mi

Glossy sweet and sour pork pieces with peppers and pineapple beside fried rice

China 45m

Dinner •Cantonese Takeout Classic

Sweet and Sour Pork

This sweet and sour pork recipe fries battered pork until crisp, then tosses it in a glossy sauce of vinegar, sugar and ketchup with bell peppers, onion and pineapple, so the coating stays crunchy under the shine. One serving is about 310 g.

Bold & Satisfying

Crisp battered pork tossed in a glossy sweet-sour sauce with peppers, onion and pineapple — the takeout favourite, better at home.

Pairs Well With
Steamed jasmine rice and a cold lager or iced tea

High Protein

Sliced boiled pork belly with kimchi and pine nuts on a white plate

South Korea 2h

Dinner •Korean Feast Classic

Bossam

Bossam is Korea's boiled pork belly feast: a whole piece of belly simmered with doenjang, ginger and garlic until tender, sliced thin, and wrapped at the table in napa cabbage leaves with kimchi, raw garlic and ssamjang. Unlike grilled samgyeopsal, the pork here is boiled, not grilled, so the meat stays soft and mild and the wraps do the talking. One serving is about 310 g.

Hearty & Comforting

Slow-boiled pork belly, sliced thin and wrapped in napa leaves with kimchi and ssamjang.

Pairs Well With
Baechu kimchi, mu-saengchae and ssamjang, with steamed rice

High Protein

A whole stuffed eggplant topped with tomato and onion filling and parsley on a white plate

Turkey 1h 40m

Dinner •Turkish Olive-Oil Classic

Imam Bayildi

Imam bayildi is Turkey's famous stuffed eggplant: whole eggplants, softened in olive oil and filled with a sweet tangle of onion, tomato and green pepper, then braised gently until the flesh turns silky. It is served at room temperature, glistening with its cooking oil, and the name means 'the imam fainted' — legend says the priest swooned at the taste. One serving is about 365 g.

Light & Plant-Based

Whole eggplants stuffed with sweet onion and tomato, braised slowly in olive oil and served at room temperature.

Pairs Well With
Crusty bread and a tomato salad

Greek stifado beef stew with whole onions in red sauce, served with fries and salad

Greece 3h

Dinner •Greek Sunday Stew

Stifado

Stifado is Greece's great onion stew: chunks of beef simmered for hours with a mountain of whole pearl onions, red wine, tomato and a whisper of cinnamon until the meat falls apart and the onions melt sweet. Unlike moussaka or pastitsio, there is no béchamel and no pasta layer — just beef, onions and sauce in one pot. It is a Sunday dish, served hot with bread to catch the sauce. One serving is about 425 g.

Rich & Slow-Cooked

Beef braised with whole pearl onions, red wine, tomato and cinnamon until the sauce turns dark and sweet.

Pairs Well With
Crusty bread and a Greek salad

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