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 1165–1176 of 2321 dinner recipes

A ring mold of cuscuz paulista, a Brazilian steamed cornmeal mold decorated with tomato slices and hard-boiled egg

Brazil 1h 10m

Lunch •Sao Paulo Classic

Cuscuz Paulista

This cuscuz paulista recipe steams cornmeal with sardines, shrimp, hard-boiled egg, tomato, peas and olives into a firm ring mold. One serving is about 280 g. It is a Sao Paulo classic — not semolina couscous, but a savoury cornmeal cake that slices like a terrine.

Comfort & Warmth

A steamed cornmeal mold packed with sardines, shrimp, egg, tomato and vegetables, turned out and sliced.

Pairs Well With
A green salad and a cold beer or fresh lime juice.

Tikin xic fish in achiote sauce with tomato and onion, served in foil and banana leaf in Campeche

Mexico 50m

Dinner •Yucatan Heritage

Tikin Xic

This tikin xic recipe rubs red snapper with achiote paste and sour orange juice, then grills it in a banana leaf with sliced tomato, red onion and habanero. The leaf keeps the fish moist while the marinade turns it a deep brick red. One serving is about 330 g, fish and vegetables together.

Bold & Smoky

Achiote-rubbed grilled fish in sour orange, wrapped in banana leaf with tomato and onion.

Pairs Well With
Warm corn tortillas and a pickled red onion salad, with lime wedges on the side.

High Protein

Creamy polenta bubbling softly in a traditional copper pot

Italy 50m

Dinner •Northern Italian Heritage

Creamy Polenta

This creamy polenta recipe simmers coarse cornmeal in water and milk, then beats in butter and Parmesan until it turns glossy and spoon-soft. It is the soft, porridge-like polenta of northern Italy, served straight from the pot while it still flows. One serving is about 320 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Coarse cornmeal simmered slowly with milk, butter and Parmesan until spoon-soft.

Pairs Well With
A spoonful of sauteed mushrooms or a simple green salad on the side.

A tarte aux pommes with thin apple slices arranged in a rosette, dusted with sugar

France 1h 10m

Snack & Tea •French Patisserie Heritage

Tarte aux Pommes

This tarte aux pommes recipe layers paper-thin apple slices in overlapping rings over a spoonful of applesauce, all in a crisp butter shortcrust. It is the everyday French apple tart — baked right-side up, never caramelised upside-down like a tarte tatin. One serving is about 155 g, one slice of eight.

Sweet & Simple

Thin apple slices over applesauce in crisp shortcrust, glazed with apricot.

Pairs Well With
A spoonful of creme fraiche or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Braised pork cheeks in dark red wine sauce with potatoes, garnished with parsley

Spain 3h

Dinner •Spanish Heritage

Carrilleras

This carrilleras recipe braises pork cheeks in red wine with onion, carrot, garlic and tomato paste until the meat is so tender it yields to a spoon. Beef cheeks work the same way and need a little longer. One serving is about 335 g, cheeks and sauce together.

Slow & Tender

Pork cheeks braised in red wine with onion, carrot and tomato until spoon-tender.

Pairs Well With
Creamy mashed potatoes and crusty bread to mop up the wine sauce.

High Protein

Taiyaki — a golden fish-shaped cake on a plain white background

Japan 45m

Snack & Tea •Tokyo Street-Food Classic

Taiyaki

This taiyaki recipe bakes crisp, golden fish-shaped cakes filled with sweet red bean paste, just like the ones sold at Tokyo street stalls. One serving is about 113 g. Eat them warm, while the edges are still crisp and the filling is soft and sweet.

Comfort & Warmth

Crisp golden fish-shaped cakes with a warm sweet red bean filling, eaten fresh from the mould.

Pairs Well With
Green tea or barley tea, and a second taiyaki with custard filling.

A white bowl of pale sweetened coconut milk with crushed ice holding glossy ruby-red tapioca-coated water-chestnut cubes, a white spoon lifting two rubies

Thailand 45m

Snack & Tea •Thai Street-Dessert Classic

Thapthim Krop

This thapthim krop recipe turns crisp water chestnuts into glossy ruby-red cubes coated in tapioca, served cold in sweetened coconut milk over crushed ice. One serving is about 303 g.

Sweet & Refreshing

Crunchy ruby-red water-chestnut cubes in sweet iced coconut milk — one of Thailand's most famous desserts.

Pairs Well With
Thai iced tea, jasmine tea, fresh tropical fruit

Che hat sen — a glass bowl of lotus seeds in amber syrup with a spoon

Vietnam 1h 15m

Snack & Tea •Hue Imperial Sweet Soup

Che Hat Sen

This che hat sen recipe simmers tender lotus seeds in a light pandan-scented syrup, the classic sweet soup of Hue. One serving is about 370 g. Serve it warm on a cool evening or chilled over ice in summer.

Comfort & Warmth

Tender lotus seeds in a light pandan-scented syrup, served warm or chilled.

Pairs Well With
Unsweetened iced tea and fresh fruit on the side.

Beef chow fun — wide flat rice noodles with beef slices, bean sprouts and scallions on a white plate

China 30m

Dinner •Guangzhou Wok Classic

Beef Chow Fun

This beef chow fun recipe wok-fries silky flat rice noodles with tender marinated beef, crisp bean sprouts and scallions in a savoury soy sauce. One serving is about 363 g. A hot wok and a short, fast fry give the noodles their smoky seared edges.

Hearty & Satisfying

Silky wok-seared rice noodles with tender beef, bean sprouts and scallions, tossed in a savoury soy sauce.

Pairs Well With
Hot Chinese tea and a light cucumber salad.

Pasta & Noodles

Sliced cucumbers tossed in a red gochugaru dressing with sesame, served as Korean oi muchim

South Korea 20m

Dinner •Korean Banchan Classic

Oi Muchim

This oi muchim recipe is the Korean banchan of crisp cucumber tossed in a spicy, sour dressing of gochugaru, rice vinegar, garlic and toasted sesame oil. The cucumbers are salted first so they stay crunchy, then mixed with spring onion and carrot and left to rest for ten minutes while the dressing soaks in. One serving is about 150 g.

Crisp, Spicy & Refreshing

Oi muchim is a quick Korean cucumber banchan — salted cucumber tossed in a spicy, sour gochugaru and sesame dressing, served cold.

Pairs Well With
Serve cold as a banchan with steamed rice and a grilled or stewed main, with kimchi and a light soup on the side.

Quick Prep (<30m)

Meat-free Turkish bamya — okra pods in a tomato and olive oil sauce with a lemon wedge

Turkey 50m

Dinner •Anatolian Home Cooking

Bamya

This bamya recipe is the Turkish okra stew cooked the meat-free way: whole okra pods simmered gently in olive oil with onion, garlic, tomato and lemon until tender, with a pinch of sugar to round out the sour edge. It is the Anatolian home dish that is served warm with bread or rice, and the same pot, cooled, is eaten as zeytinyağlı bamya. One serving is about 344 g.

Tangy, Tender & Plant-Based

Bamya is a meat-free Turkish okra stew — whole okra simmered in olive oil, tomato and lemon until tender and tangy.

Pairs Well With
Serve warm with crusty bread or pilav rice, with a spoonful of plain yoghurt if you like and a simple green salad.

Golden-brown braided tsoureki loaves topped with flaked almonds in an Athens bakery window

Greece 1h 20m

Breakfast •Greek Easter Bread Classic

Tsoureki

This tsoureki recipe bakes a soft, golden, braided Greek Easter bread perfumed with mahlepi and mastiha, with a glossy egg-washed crust and flaked almonds on top. It pulls apart into feathery strands and tastes of orange, cherry kernel and warm spice. One serving is about 112 g.

Sweet & Comforting

A soft, braided Easter bread scented with mahlepi, mastiha and orange.

Pairs Well With
Strong Greek coffee and orange marmalade

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

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Belize

Benin

Bhutan

Bolivia

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Botswana

Brazil

Brunei

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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

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Czechia

Côte d'Ivoire

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Dominican Republic

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Ethiopia

Fiji

Finland

France

Gabon

Gambia

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Guatemala

Guinea

Guinea-Bissau

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Haiti

Honduras

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Iceland

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Indonesia

Iran

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Ireland

Israel

Italy

Jamaica

Japan

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Kiribati

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Laos

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Mexico

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Niger

Nigeria

North Korea

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Norway

Oman

Pakistan

Palau

Panama

Papua New Guinea

Paraguay

Peru

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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

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Sierra Leone

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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

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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.

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