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 1141–1152 of 2321 dinner recipes

Pe de moleque — a glossy bar of Brazilian peanut brittle with whole roasted peanuts in dark caramel

Brazil 25m

Snack & Tea •Festa Junina Sweet

Pe de Moleque

This pe de moleque recipe is the Brazilian peanut brittle of the June festivals: roasted peanuts folded into a dark, molasses-rich rapadura caramel, pressed flat and cut into bars while still warm. It snaps when it cools, tastes of toasted peanut and brown sugar, and keeps for weeks in a jar. One serving is about 55 g, one bar.

Sweet & Crunchy

Roasted peanuts set in dark rapadura caramel — crisp, nutty and just sweet enough.

Pairs Well With
Black coffee & June-festival sweets

Huevos a la mexicana — scrambled eggs with red tomato and green chile — on a plate with refried beans and tortilla chips

Mexico 20m

Breakfast •Mexican Heritage

Huevos a la Mexicana

This huevos a la mexicana recipe scrambles eggs with ripe tomato, white onion and serrano chile — the red, white and green of the Mexican flag — in a single pan. It is a fast, filling breakfast that needs no special equipment and tastes best with warm corn tortillas. One serving is about 200 g.

Quick & Satisfying

Scrambled eggs with tomato, onion and serrano chile, ready in about 20 minutes.

Pairs Well With
Warm corn tortillas and refried beans on the side.

Quick Prep (<30m)

A whole roasted porchetta roll with golden-brown crackling skin on a cutting board

Italy 4h 10m

Dinner •Roman Heritage

Porchetta

This porchetta recipe rolls skin-on pork belly around a pork loin stuffed with garlic, rosemary and fennel seed, then roasts it low and slow before a final blast of heat turns the skin to crackling. It is the celebratory roast of central Italy, sliced thick and served warm. One serving is about 200 g.

Rich & Celebratory

Pork belly rolled around a herb-stuffed loin and slow-roasted until the skin crackles.

Pairs Well With
Crusty bread, roast potatoes and a sharp green salad.

High Protein

A rectangular pissaladiere tart with caramelised onions, anchovy fillets in a lattice and black olives

France 2h 45m

Lunch •Niçoise Heritage

Pissaladière

This pissaladiere recipe bakes a bread-dough base under a thick layer of onions cooked low and slow until sweet, finished with anchovy fillets in a diamond pattern and black olives. It is the savoury tart of Nice, with no egg custard and no cheese — the onions do all the work. One serving is about 195 g.

Savoury & Satisfying

Bread-dough tart from Nice with slow-cooked onions, anchovies and black olives.

Pairs Well With
A green salad and a glass of chilled rosé.

Steaming almejas a la marinera — open clams in a pale white-wine sauce with parsley — in an oval dish

Spain 1h

Dinner •Galician Heritage

Almejas a la Marinera

This almejas a la marinera recipe steams fresh clams in a garlic, white-wine and smoked paprika sauce until they open, then finishes the pan with parsley and lemon. It is the fishermen's clam dish of Galicia, made for mopping up with crusty bread. One serving is about 170 g.

Light & Briny

Fresh clams steamed open in a garlic, white-wine and paprika sauce.

Pairs Well With
Crusty bread for the sauce and a glass of dry white wine.

High Protein • Quick Prep (<30m)

A bowl of ochazuke with flaked salmon, shredded nori and rice in green-tea dashi

Japan 25m

Lunch •Japanese Home Classic

Ochazuke

This ochazuke recipe pours hot green-tea dashi over steamed rice and tops it with flaked grilled salmon, nori, pickles and a dab of wasabi. One serving is about 519 g. It is a light, soothing Japanese lunch that comes together in 25 minutes.

Light & Comforting

Steamed rice in hot green-tea dashi with grilled salmon, nori and pickles.

Pairs Well With
Cold pickled cucumber, a small dish of takuan and hot sencha on the side

Quick Prep (<30m)

A wok of Thai stir-fried eggplant with tofu, peppers and Thai basil

Thailand 27m

Dinner •Thai Home Stir-Fry

Thai Stir-Fried Eggplant

This thai stir-fried eggplant recipe tosses silky Chinese eggplant with Thai basil, bird's eye chili, peppers and crisp tofu in a savoury soy glaze. One serving is about 255 g. It is a vegan Thai stir-fry that is ready in 27 minutes and begs for steamed rice.

Bold & Satisfying

Chinese eggplant stir-fried with Thai basil, chili and tofu in a savoury soy glaze.

Pairs Well With
Steamed jasmine rice, a fried egg and a cold cucumber salad

Two bowls of Vietnamese lime-cured beef salad with herbs and chopsticks

Vietnam 25m

Lunch •Southern Vietnamese Classic

Bo Tai Chanh

This bo tai chanh recipe cures paper-thin beef in fresh lime juice, then tosses it with red onion, chili, herbs, peanuts and fried shallots. One serving is about 186 g. IMPORTANT: lime juice does NOT cook beef — this dish is essentially raw beef, so use only very fresh, high-quality beef from a trusted source, keep it chilled, and eat it promptly.

Fresh & High-Protein

Paper-thin beef cured in lime juice with herbs, peanuts and fried shallots.

Pairs Well With
Steamed jasmine rice, rice crackers and a cold herbal tea

High Protein

A plate of stir-fried garlic bok choy with garlic slices and sesame seeds

China 15m

Lunch •Cantonese Home Classic

Garlic Bok Choy

This garlic bok choy recipe stir-fries crisp bok choy with plenty of garlic, a little ginger and a light soy glaze. One serving is about 160 g. It is a quick vegan Chinese side dish, ready in 15 minutes, that goes with almost any main course.

Fresh & Light

Crisp bok choy stir-fried fast with garlic, ginger and soy.

Pairs Well With
Steamed rice, a bowl of congee or a soy-glazed chicken main

Quick Prep (<30m)

A golden-brown bindaetteok mung bean pancake cut into wedges on a white plate

South Korea 45m

Snack & Tea •Gwangjang Market Heritage

Bindaetteok

This bindaetteok recipe turns soaked mung beans and sweet rice into a coarse, savoury batter, folds in ground pork, kimchi, mung bean sprouts and egg, then pan-fries it into crisp golden pancakes. Each pancake is torn into pieces and dipped in a sharp soy-vinegar sauce, just as vendors serve it at Gwangjang Market in Seoul. One serving is about 150 g.

Crispy Market Snack

A crisp, golden pancake of ground mung beans, pork, kimchi and egg, fried and served with a soy-vinegar dipping sauce — the signature snack of Seoul's Gwangjang Market.

Pairs Well With
Serve hot with the soy-vinegar dipping sauce and a cold glass of makgeolli.

Two glossy pieces of kabak tatlisi, candied pumpkin topped with chopped walnuts, on a white plate

Turkey 1h

Snack & Tea •Turkish Dessert Classic

Kabak Tatlisi

This kabak tatlisi recipe turns a kilo of pumpkin, sugar and walnuts into glossy, amber candied pumpkin, served cool with its syrup spooned over. One serving is about 200 g.

Sweet & Simple

Candied pumpkin simmered in its own syrup and finished with walnuts — a classic Turkish dessert.

Pairs Well With
Turkish tea and a spoonful of the cooking syrup.

Garides saganaki in a white bowl — shrimp in a rich red tomato sauce with melted feta cheese

Greece 45m

Dinner •Greek Taverna Classic

Garides Saganaki

This garides saganaki recipe bakes shrimp in a rich tomato and white-wine sauce, finished with crumbled feta and fresh parsley. One serving is about 330 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Plump shrimp baked in a rich tomato sauce under melting feta — a Greek taverna favourite.

Pairs Well With
Crusty bread for the sauce and a glass of white wine.

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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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