If you’ve decided to prepare a Chinese main dish for dinner, you’ll want to add an Asian-style side dish to round out the meal.
From soup to rice to noodles, you can pick a side dish that fits with your dinner. You can pick a classic, or try something different.
Most Asian side dishes are quick and easy to make and give your meal an authentic feel and different flavors. Side dishes make Chinese night delicious!
Contents
17 Best Chinese Side Dishes
Here you’ll find a list of the best Chinese side dishes, and recipes so you can make them at home.
1. Chow Mein
Chow Mein is a classic Chinese side dish made with noodles. But the key to this classic side is the sauce that is mixed with the noodles.
You can make Chow Mein into a full course dinner if you add meat and veggies, but for our purposes, we’ll stick with a side dish recipe.
2. Spring Roll
Spring rolls are a favorite appetizer or side dish. They consist of chopped cabbage, carrots, and onions, all deliciously rolled and deep-fried to delightful crispiness.
Spring rolls can be made a few different ways, and you can serve them with a variety of dipping sauces to add flavor. Find the recipe here.
3. Chinese Coleslaw
Chinese coleslaw is great for potlucks and summer barbeques. Like many Chinese dishes, it’s made with cabbage and onions. Serve it with a sweet vinegar sauce.
This particular recipe adds a little crunch by using uncooked ramen noodles. It may sound strange, but the crunchiness adds great texture to this side dish!
4. Rice
Served with almost any Chinese-style dinner, rice is versatile, doesn’t override the flavor of the main course, and can be made to match any dish.
This fried rice recipe is great to serve with Chinese meals or to have with some classic egg drop soup. It’s sure to add flavor to your dinner.
5. Bok Choy
Bok Choy is a delicious side dish packed with flavor. It combines all the classic Chinese flavors of soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and sesame oil.
You can make it into a main dish by adding some chicken or steak and serving it over fried rice. Here is a great recipe for a side dish.
6. Egg Drop Soup
Quick and easy to make, egg drop soup makes for an excellent side dish or even an appetizer. Serve it with your favorite Chinese-style dinner.
It doesn’t take long to make this side dish, and the list of ingredients is short. Try this recipe for a delicious side dish that goes great with fried rice.
7. Milk Bread Rolls
Milk bread rolls originated in Japanese cultures but can be served with Chinese-style dishes as well. They make for a sweet, light side dish.
These are perfect for holiday meals, but you can make them anytime. Try this easy recipe for rolls you won’t be able to stop eating.
8. Cabbage Stir Fry
This side dish can be made with or without meat. It uses thin, sliced cabbage and carrots mixed with a flavorful and sweet stir fry sauce.
Cabbage stir fry is inexpensive to make and takes a small amount of time. This recipe uses all the classic Chinese flavors like sesame oil, soy sauce, and ginger.
9. Chinese Cucumber Salad
Chinese cucumber salad is the perfect side dish on a warm summer day. But really, you can serve this delicious side dish any time of year.
This is a popular cold side dish served with Chinese meals. This recipe gives you three different ways to make Chinese cucumber salad with three different dressings.
10. Broccoli Stir Fry
Similar to cabbage stir fry, broccoli stir fry can be made as to the main course by adding meat. However, you can also serve it as a side dish.
This recipe calls for just 3 ingredients, making it quick, easy, and inexpensive to make. It goes well with chicken fried rice, fish, or steak meals.
11. Chinese Sausage Rice
Chinese sausage rice is a type of rice side dish that’s got a little flair by adding sausage and any type of spices or seasonings you prefer.
You can add a sauce to this dish to give it a tangy flavor, or serve it plain with just rice and sausage. Find the recipe here.
12. Sichuan Green Beans
Green beans are always a quick and easy choice for a side dish. Sichuan green beans are especially tasteful to pair with your favorite Chinese dinner.
Unlike boiled or steamed green beans, Sichuan green beans are sauteed first and then the ingredients are added. Here’s a great recipe to make at home.
13. Garlic Choy Sum
Choy sum is a type of vegetable used in Chinese dishes. It can be made with a variety of different spices, similar to any sauteed vegetable.
This can be served with many different Chinese dinners, as it doesn’t have an overpowering flavor. Try this recipe for a garlicky side dish with your dinner.
14. Egg Rolls
Filled with pork, carrots, and cabbage, egg rolls are a delicious side dish or appetizer. They are similar to spring rolls but made with meat.
Add in some garlic, sesame oil, and ginger, and you have yourself a delicious egg roll. Find a quick and easy recipe here for your next Chinese night.
15. Chinese Pickled Cabbage
Cabbage is a staple in Chinese food culture. Plenty of main course dishes as well as side dishes are made with this amazingly versatile vegetable.
Combining sweet and sour, Chinese pickled cabbage is packed with flavor and adds a distinctive crunch to your meal. Here’s a simple and tasteful recipe.
16. Soy Sauce Eggs
Soy sauce eggs use just a few ingredients, but this side dish can be time-consuming to make. So, make sure you give yourself enough time before dinner.
These are great as a side dish or as an appetizer. You can even just eat them as a mid-day snack. You can find the recipe here.
17. Hot and Sour Soup
Hot and Sour soup can be found at almost any Chinese buffet or takeout place. It’s a little time-consuming to make, but certainly worth it.
This soup is made with a pork marinade combined with lots of vegetables and seasonings. You can adjust the hotness and the sourness to your taste. Here’s the recipe.
Wrap Up
In this list, you’ll find some of the most classic Americanized Chinese side dishes, as well as authentic side dishes made in homes and restaurants in Chinese culture.
Many recipes call for cabbage, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic, so make sure you have these on hand! No matter what Chinese-style dinner you are preparing, you can find a side dish for it here.
17 Best Chinese Side Dishes
Ingredients
- Chow Mein
- Spring Roll
- Chinese Coleslaw
- Rice
- Bok Choy
- Egg Drop Soup
- Milk Bread Rolls
- Cabbage Stir Fry
- Chinese Cucumber Salad
- Broccoli Stir Fry
- Chinese Sausage Rice
- Sichuan Green Beans
- Garlic Choy Sum
- Egg Rolls
- Chinese Pickled Cabbage
- Soy Sauce Eggs
- Hot and Sour Soup
Instructions
- Select your favorite recipe from the list above.
- Organize all the required ingredients.
- Prepare and enjoy in 30 minutes or less!