"Il peut également accompagner des pâtes ou du riz."

[lkt005]

it can also accompany pasta or rice

this makes sense and should be accepted

[darlah]

Really? It doesn't accept "accompany"?

[smearedink]

It does now.

[Natka01]

des pates is plural because it means many kind of pasta ?

[smearedink]

From my experience here, I think it's just always plural. Like "pants" in English! Actually, we usually use "pasta" in a plural sense too. While I can imagine saying "a pasta," like maybe "a pasta that goes well with this wine," you wouldn't generally say "I'm having a pasta."