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What makes a good pork belly side dish?
There are three things that you need to keep in mind when thinking about what to serve with pork belly:
- Richness: Pork belly is packed with flavour, so don’t choose a dish that will compete for your tastebud’s attention. It’s better to go subtle than big for this one – your pork belly should get the spotlight here.
- Sauce: Sometimes pork belly has extra sauce, or a dip served with it. As much as possible, try to keep your sides light on sauce to avoid clashing.
- Texture: Some people like their pork belly really juicy while others might prefer it dry. Make sure that your side dishes complement the texture of your pork belly by providing a bit of a different texture.
Once you’ve gotten these basic tenets in your head, you can move on to deciding what kind of side dish you’d like to serve with your pork belly. Always remember that it’s the meat that’s the star of the show, you never want a side dish to compete with the main dish due to strong clashing flavours or similar serving size.
Our favourite pork belly accompaniments
The best thing about these side dishes is that they combine well with pretty much any kind of pork dish; pork roast, pork chops, shredded pork, you name it! You can also mix and match these dishes or prepare more than one if you’d like – at the end of the day it’s your kitchen, your rules.
Apple salad
Pork and apple almost always go great together. This is a perfect appetiser if you want something light and refreshing taste to contrast the strong, rich flavour of your pork. If you want to get a bit fancy, you can even add a bit of sweetness with some lychee, or even add a bit of crunchy texture with some pecan nuts.
Recipes for you to follow:
Rice
For a heavier and heartier accompaniment, go with rice. Aside from soaking up the various oils and the sauces of the pork belly (especially if it’s twice cooked), it’s a good side dish to consider if you’re serving a big group. No need to stop at a plain bowl of rice either: simple herbs and spices like garlic or mint can make quite a difference!
Recipes for you to follow:
Potatoes
Potatoes and mash are a really underappreciated side dish to pork belly, with a light flavour that perfectly complements the intensity of the sauce. Depending on how you cook it, potato dishes can either fully absorb the flavours of the pork belly or underline the main dish with sweet and savoury tones.
Recipes for you to follow:
Pastry
The soft yet crisp texture of a pastry is a great buffer for the intense heartiness of pork belly. Pastries provide a rich and distinct flavour to the dish without being overpowering, and best of all, they tend to really absorb the flavours of the pork and whatever sauces you’re adding to the mix.
Recipes for you to follow:
Beans and vegetables
Leafy greens are a chef’s side dish of choice for any pork belly recipe, due to the various ways you can adjust their flavour to fit. They also soak up sauce quite well, adding an even more complex texture to the already textured dish. If you happen to be serving dry pork belly, blending in a delicate sauce in a vegetable dish can be a great accompaniment.
Recipes for you to follow:
Cook and serve
We hope you’ve enjoyed this primer on what to serve with pork belly. Hopefully, the next time you make this crowd-pleasing dish at your dinner table, you’ll always have a handy resource to help you decide on side dishes.
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