Food from Around the World: 12 International Recipes You Can Cook at Home

Looking for easy recipes from around the world that make home cooking feel doable? Enjoy some fresh recipe inspiration and sneak in some extra veggies as a bonus.

Our free download brings together 12 easy international recipes inspired by food from around the world. These are all dishes commonly cooked at home by families across South America, Central America and the Caribbean, Africa and Asia, shared by our local partners.

You might start with maduros (fried plantains), make pupusas (El Salvador’s national dish), or try Rose’s pancit noodles, a traditional Filipino dish that’s quick and easy.

You’ll also find recipes like Tanzanian coconut rice and sweet treats including mango lassi and payesh, a delicious Bangladeshi take on rice-pudding. From street food to traditional, home‑cooked dishes, these recipes reflect the food people in the communities where Compassion serves cook and share every day.

And because this is more than a cookbook, each section includes Compassion stories and prayer points, helping you connect with the children and local church communities you’re supporting and praying for.

Inside the recipe book, Rose from the Philippines shares her Pancit Noodles recipe, and here you can see her give a video demo: Rose's Pancit Noodle recipe | Compassion UK

Building a Future, One Chocolate Bar at a Time

Food doesn’t just bring us together; it can also open doors. For some young people who learn cookery at their Compassion projects, the skills and confidence they gain become the start of their livelihood. That’s exactly what happened for two brothers in Ecuador.

Alex and David with their parents

In a small workshop in Ecuador, brothers Alex and David are transforming local cacao into artisanal chocolate and redefining what chocolate can be.

“Most chocolate people eat isn’t very nutritious,” they explain. “That’s where the idea was born: to make something healthier and to show the world how good Ecuadorian chocolate really is.”

“Our goal is to export,” they say, “to promote Ecuadorian chocolate as one of the best in the world.”

But this dream didn’t begin in the factory. It began years earlier, growing up in Compassion’s programme. “Even when I was little, I felt like we were being prepared for the future,” Alex shares. “They trained us not only in entrepreneurship, but even accounting.”

David adds, “Compassion doesn’t only see the present. It’s working for the future. We’ve felt it very close. I don’t know what would have happened if Compassion hadn’t been there.”

Today, their faith shapes everything they do. “It’s an integral, total blessing,” David says. “When Christ transforms your life, he also transforms the space around you.”

And their message to other young people is simple: “Have dreams. Dare to dream beyond your community.”

Hungry for more?

Santiago, 10 | Colombia

For other delicious recipes from around the world, try Rwandan Pancakes (Mandazi) which are similar to doughnuts. They’re a fun activity to make with children.

You can also meet Adjo, one of the Compassion Togo cooking team, and make her delicious peanut stew.

And for a sweet treat around a bonfire, or on a chilly night snuggled up at home, enjoy our hot chocolate recipe from Peru. The ingredients can be layered in a jar as a delightful gift, or you can simply follow the recipe and drink straight away!

In need of other activities?

Enjoy some fun activity ideas to occupy friends and family. Great to try with children at home, from your church group or at school.