Sometimes, a side dish of a strong foodstuff is served, or small portions of one or two of the following foods are put on chazuke at one's choice: umeboshi (pickled ume, or Japanese apricot), pickles, crumbled cooked salmon, seaweed, tsukudani (small fish, shellfish, or konbu, boiled in sweetened soy sauce), salted fish guts, grated wasabi (Japanese horseradish), or karashi-mentaiko (salted cod roe).
味の濃い食材を副菜として食をすすめることもあれば、好みで梅干や漬物、サケや海苔・佃煮・塩辛・山葵・たらこ（辛子明太子）などの具をのせることもある。