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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What’s for Dinner TonightFeatured Dinner Recipes from 193 Countries

Showing 1057–1068 of 2321 dinner recipes

Roast duck leg in yellow tucupi broth with a jambu flower, served in Belém

Brazil 6h 55m

Dinner •Pará Festival Dish

Pato no Tucupi

This pato no tucupi recipe marinates duck legs in lime, garlic and cumin, roasts them until golden, then simmers them in boiled yellow tucupi with jambu leaves until tender. The duck arrives at the table in a golden broth, tingling with jambu. One serving is about 490 g.

Festive Pará Classic

Roast duck simmered in golden tucupi with jambu, the pride of Belém.

Pairs Well With
White rice, toasted farinha and a cold beer or caipirinha.

Rajas con crema — roasted poblano strips and corn kernels in a creamy sauce, served in a clay cazuela with a serving spoon

Mexico 40m

Lunch •Central Mexico Heritage

Rajas con Crema

This rajas con crema recipe turns flame-roasted poblano strips, sweet corn and Mexican crema into the cozy dish that shows up at nearly every fonda lunch in central Mexico. The poblanos bring a mild, smoky warmth, the crema makes everything silky, and a handful of melted cheese pulls it together. One serving is about 300 g, sauce and all.

Comfort & Warmth

Roasted poblano strips simmered in cream with sweet corn — a gentle, warming Mexican side dish.

Pairs Well With
Warm corn tortillas for scooping, with a simple tomato rice on the side.

A slice of focaccia genovese with coarse salt crystals on a wooden board

Italy 50m

Snack & Tea •Ligurian Heritage

Focaccia Genovese

This focaccia recipe makes the real Genoese flatbread: a thin, dimpled slab with a crisp, salty top and a soft, oily crumb, brushed with salamoia — the salt-water and oil emulsion that gives it its shine. In Genoa it is breakfast, dipped into a cappuccino, and it is just as good torn apart at lunch. One serving is about 105 g, one generous slice.

Comfort & Warmth

A thin, dimpled Ligurian flatbread with a crisp salty crust and a soft, olive-oil crumb.

Pairs Well With
A bowl of minestrone or a plate of salumi and cheese, with the bread torn, not sliced.

A chocolate souffle risen in a white ramekin, dusted with powdered sugar, its top settled slightly in the centre

France 35m

Snack & Tea •French Classic

Chocolate Souffle

This chocolate souffle recipe rises into a light, dark-chocolate dessert with a molten centre, dusted with powdered sugar and served the moment it leaves the oven. It is the classic French test of a cook: no baking powder, no safety net — the rise comes from whipped egg white alone. One serving is about 130 g, one ramekin.

Comfort & Warmth

A light, risen chocolate dessert with a molten centre, made with whipped egg white alone.

Pairs Well With
Fresh raspberries and a small glass of dessert wine — nothing heavy on the same plate.

Escalivada — strips of roasted red pepper, aubergine and onion with black olives and paprika on a white plate

Spain 1h

Lunch •Catalan Heritage

Escalivada

This escalivada recipe roasts peppers, aubergine and onion whole in a hot oven until their skins blacken, then peels them into silky strips and dresses them with olive oil and sherry vinegar. It is the Catalan way with fire: smoky, sweet and soft, eaten at room temperature with bread. One serving is about 270 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Whole vegetables roasted until smoky and sweet, peeled into strips and dressed in olive oil.

Pairs Well With
Pa amb tomaquet — tomato bread — for mopping up the oily juices.

Japanese hamburg steak — two pan-fried beef and pork patties with roasted potatoes and broccoli on a white plate

Japan 50m

Dinner •Osaka Home Classic

Japanese Hamburg Steak

This japanese hamburg steak recipe makes the soft, juicy patties Japan calls hambagu: a hand-kneaded mix of ground beef and pork, sweet sautéed onion, panko and egg, pan-fried until browned outside and pillowy inside, then finished with a quick demi-glace sauce made in the same pan. Serve it teishoku-style with rice, miso soup and shredded cabbage. One serving is about 190 g.

Comforting Yoshoku Classic

A soft beef-and-pork patty pan-fried until juicy, served with a quick demi-glace sauce and plain rice.

Pairs Well With
Steamed Japanese rice, miso soup, shredded cabbage and a cold barley tea

High Protein

Thai spicy pork rib soup — pork bones in a hot, sour broth with chillies and herbs, shown in its pork-spine (leng saap) form

Thailand 1h 50m

Lunch •Isan Street Classic

Thai Spicy Pork Rib Soup

This thai spicy pork rib soup recipe is tom saap, the hot-and-sour soup of northeastern Thailand: pork spare ribs simmered for over an hour with lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime leaves, then sharpened at the last minute with tamarind, lime juice, fish sauce and two kinds of chilli, plus a spoonful of nutty roasted rice powder. It is clear and bright, never creamy — a world away from tom yum. One serving is about 500 g.

Hot, Sour & Deeply Savoury

Pork ribs simmered until tender in a clear, fiery Isan broth of tamarind, lime, lemongrass and roasted chilli.

Pairs Well With
Steamed jasmine rice, sticky rice, green papaya salad and a cold lime soda

Soups & Broths

Kho bo — sliced Vietnamese spicy beef jerky with fresh mint, cucumber and cherry tomato on a blue plate

Vietnam 3h 30m

Snack & Tea •Saigon Market Classic

Kho Bo

This kho bo recipe turns lean beef into Vietnamese spicy beef jerky: thin slices marinated overnight in lemongrass, garlic, five-spice, turmeric and chilli, simmered in their own marinade, then dried in a low oven until chewy and deep red. It is sweet first, spicy second, and endlessly snackable — the dried beef sold by weight in Saigon's markets. One serving is about 75 g.

Sweet-Spicy Beef Jerky

Lean beef marinated overnight in lemongrass, five-spice and chilli, then dried low and slow into chewy, sweet-spicy jerky.

Pairs Well With
Green papaya salad, pickled daikon and carrot, and a cold lager

Chinese turnip cake — pan-fried lo bak go slices with golden-brown tops and a small bowl of chilli sauce

China 1h 45m

Snack & Tea •Guangdong Dim Sum Classic

Chinese Turnip Cake

This chinese turnip cake recipe is lo bak go, the Cantonese dim sum classic: despite the name it is made with daikon radish, not turnip. Grated daikon is cooked with rice flour, Chinese sausage, dried shrimp and shiitake, steamed into a firm block, chilled overnight, then sliced and pan-fried until crisp outside and soft inside. Serve it with soy sauce and chilli sauce. One serving is about 300 g.

Crispy Dim Sum Classic

Grated daikon and rice flour steamed into a savoury cake with sausage, shrimp and shiitake, then pan-fried until golden.

Pairs Well With
Soy sauce, chilli sauce, hot Chinese tea and steamed dim sum

Ganjang gejang — raw blue crab in dark soy marinade with chillies and sesame seeds, served with banchan

South Korea 50m

Dinner •Korean Coastal Classic

Ganjang Gejang

This ganjang gejang recipe cures fresh blue crab in a soy marinade for two days until the meat turns silky and deeply savoury. The crab is served cold with steamed rice, a drizzle of sesame oil and a spoonful of the marinade. One serving is one crab, about 170 g of crab and marinade.

Bold & Savoury

Raw blue crab cured in a soy marinade with garlic, ginger and chillies, eaten cold with rice.

Pairs Well With
Steamed white rice, kimchi and a light seaweed soup.

A bowl of tarhana soup, orange and speckled with herbs, in a white bowl

Turkey 35m

Dinner •Anatolian Winter Classic

Tarhana Soup

This tarhana soup recipe turns fermented tarhana powder into a tangy, warming bowl: the powder is whisked into cold water, simmered with tomato, onion and butter, and finished with dried mint and red pepper flakes. One serving is about 300 g, a generous bowl.

Comfort & Warmth

A tangy fermented-grain soup with tomato and mint, simmered in one pot.

Pairs Well With
Crusty bread, white cheese and a green salad.

Soups & Broths • Fermented / Gut Health

Manicoba — dark cooked cassava leaves with white rice and shredded dried meat on a plate

Brazil 3h

Dinner •Pará Amazon Classic

Manicoba

This manicoba recipe simmers pre-cooked cassava leaves for hours with pork shoulder, smoked sausage, bacon and dried beef until the leaves turn dark, soft and deeply savoury. It is served with white rice and farofa. One serving is about 350 g.

Hearty & Rich

Cassava leaves slow-cooked with pork, sausage and dried beef, a dish of Para.

Pairs Well With
White rice, farofa and a tomato 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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Antigua and Barbuda

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China

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Republic of the Congo

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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