What To Serve With Beef & Broccoli: 12 BEST Sides!
If you need some ideas for what to serve with beef and broccoli, then pull up a chair, because you’ve come to the right place!
Here, we’re going to take a look at the most delicious side dishes and accompaniments to go with your next Chinese inspired dinner.
What to serve with beef and broccoli
Some of the best sides to serve with Chinese beef and broccoli include pineapple fried rice, stir fried udon noodles, rainbow noodle salad, and salt and pepper chips. If you love finger foods, you might want to consider making Cantonese spring rolls, crispy crab rangoon, sesame prawn toast, and prawn crackers with a sweet chilli dipping sauce.
Keep reading to discover more ideas, plus the best recipes for you to make in your own kitchen.
Whether you’re a total beginner when it comes to Chinese cookery, or you’re looking for something more challenging, you’ll find what you’re looking for right here!
1. Pineapple fried rice
Thanks to ingredients like soy sauce, fresh garlic, and sesame oil, beef and broccoli is a satisfyingly savoury meal with plenty to offer in the way of umami flavours.
This means that it’s perfect served with pineapple fried rice, which brings some balance to the table and refreshes the palate with something fruity and refreshing.
If you want to win some extra points for presentation, you could slice your pineapple in half, hollow out the flesh, and use it as a serving bowl for your rice.
This will definitely be a talking point at the table, and it’s a fun and easy way to impress if you have guests over for dinner!
2. Stir fried udon noodles
If you’re not a big rice fan, or you just fancy a change from your usual side dishes, you might want to try making some noodles instead!
I like to choose udon noodles to serve alongside beef and broccoli.
They’re thick, round, chewy wheat noodles that can be used in a variety of dishes, from soups to salads, so they’re a great ingredient to have in your store cupboard if you like to experiment with Asian cuisine.
If you want to get some extra veggies into your meal, just chuck them in your wok.
Chopped peppers, onions, mushrooms, and beansprouts all work well.
(If you love Chinese inspired beef dishes, you’ll also enjoy what to serve with Mongolian beef).
3. Rainbow noodle salad
Chinese takeaway style dishes can often be quite rich, so it’s a good idea to ensure you have something on the table that brings balance and vibrancy.
A great choice here is this delicious rainbow noodle salad.
It’s a fantastic celebration of colour, vibrancy, and fresh produce, and it’s tossed in a delicious fruity dressing made with ginger, soy sauce, and coconut water.
If you can, make extra than what you need for dinner, and save a portion or two for a quick lunch the next day.
It’s great on its own, or with some chicken, pork, or prawns.
4. Salt and pepper chips
Salt and pepper chips may not be an authentic Chinese side dish, but they’re wildly popular in British Chinese restaurants and takeaways, and they’re absolutely delicious!
Use this recipe for salt and pepper chips, which has added onion for extra crunch, chillis for a kick of heat, and the fragrant flavour of Chinese five spice.
Best of all, you’re going to use frozen oven chips, so you don’t even have to think about peeling and chopping your spuds.
I love kitchen hacks like this for making life easier, and your dinner guests will only know about them if you decide to share your secrets!
5. Cooked lettuce with oyster sauce and garlic
It’s rare to cook lettuce in many types of cuisine, such as British and American, but it’s actually a really common technique in Chinese cookery. In fact, it’s more common than using raw lettuce when it comes to a lot of Asian food!
This recipe for cooked lettuce with oyster sauce and garlic is super simple, and it’s often made over Chinese New Year as a symbol of good luck, wealth, and prosperity.
It requires just six ingredients, and the result is light but surprisingly satisfying.
6. Crispy crab rangoon
Crab rangoon are also known as crab puffs, and they’re popular in American Chinese restaurants and takeaways.
They may not be authentic, but they are totally delicious, and they’re an ideal accompaniment when you’re trying to recreate the takeaway experience from the comfort of your own home.
They’re stuffed with cream cheese and crab meat, and they’re typically served with some sweet chilli dipping sauce on the side.
Don’t worry about making your own pastry, because you can pick up super handy ready made wonton wrappers at your local Asian supermarket!
Cooking takeaway style food doesn’t have to be daunting, and if you want to serve up a banquet style meal, it just makes sense to have a few shortcuts in your kitchen toolkit.
(By the way, if you love takeaway style dishes, you might also enjoy checking out what to serve with lemon chicken).
7. Cantonese spring rolls
Spring rolls definitely deserve a mention when it comes to what to serve with beef and broccoli!
They’re crispy, moreish, and can be enjoyed either as a starter or as an accompaniment to your main courses.
This recipe for homemade spring rolls is the best one I’ve ever found, and it’ll help you to make them just like dim sum restaurants.
They’re authentic, and what I really love most about them is their texture.
The crunchy wrapper, the fresh beansprouts, and the soft mushrooms all come together to create a party in the mouth!
8. “As You Wish” vegetables
“As You Wish” vegetables are a popular choice around Chinese New Year, and though most families will have their own version of the recipe with differing ingredients, the common ingredient is soybean sprouts.
This is a great choice for serving with beef and broccoli if you want to ensure that you get some more veggies on the table, and you want something a little lighter (or in addition to) more carb based sides like rice and noodles.
9. Sesame prawn toast
Prawn toast is a side dish with origins in Hong Kong, and it’s popular as a starter or accompaniment for Western Chinese cuisine.
It’s made from bitesized triangles of bread, spread with a paste made from minced prawns, coated in sesame seeds, and deep fried until crunchy and golden brown.
Though prawn toast will rarely appear on the menu in more authentic Chinese restaurants, it’s a tasty side dish that’s always enjoyable when served alongside some dipping sauce.
For more ideas to add to the table, visit my guide to what to serve with prawn toast.
10. Prawn crackers
I always keep a packet of readymade prawn crackers in my kitchen cupboard, and they’re a super quick way to offer up an appetiser or side dish for any Asian meal that you might have on your meal plan!
Just add them to a serving bowl with your favourite dips – sweet chilli sauce is always a good idea – and you’ve got one of the easiest sides that you’ll ever make.
If you have a little more time available and fancy learning a new skill, you could try making your own prawn crackers from scratch.
11. Flakey scallion pancakes
Chinese scallion pancakes are a dim sum favourite, and they have a crispy, flaky exterior and a delicious, slightly chewy interior.
They might seem a little daunting to make at first glance, but they’re worth the effort and you can’t go too far wrong if you carefully follow the step by step process.
If you’re having friends or family over and you’re aiming for an authentic restaurant style dinner, these are just the ticket and they’re sure to impress your guests.
12. Kung Pao Brussel sprouts
Sprouts have something of a bad reputation, and it’s definitely not deserved!
They’re not just for Christmas, and they don’t have to be bland or boring.
To make these Kung Pao Brussel sprouts, you’ll roast your sprouts and toss them in a spicy soy and honey glaze, with green onions and peanuts for extra crunch and texture.
They’re a great alternative to Kung Pao chicken if you want to offer a vegetable based side dish for beef and broccoli, and they’re sure to tempt even those who are adamant that they don’t like sprouts!
If you can’t find sprouts in your grocery store, they could be substituted for broccoli instead, and the result will be just as delicious.
The best side dishes for beef and broccoli
Next time you’re cooking beef and broccoli, try these sides:
- Pineapple fried rice
- Stir fried udon noodles
- Rainbow noodle salad
- Salt and pepper chips
- Cooked lettuce with oyster sauce and garlic
- Cantonese spring rolls,
- “As you wish” vegetables
- Prawn toast
- Flakey scallion pancakes
Which of these side dishes will you be trying?
For inspiration for using up your leftovers, take a look at what to do with leftover broccoli.
You might also want to take a look at what to eat with orange chicken, for more takeaway inspired meal planning ideas.
