'Stardew Valley' has an official cookbook. Here's how to make Seafoam Pudding.
Like most farming simulators and open-world adventure games, one of the most satisfying parts of the journey lies in the art of cooking. It's a small victory, a genuine moment of self-care between quests, gathering precious ingredients you've painstakingly collected or grown yourself, then whipping up something delicious (or cursed) that boosts your stats for a bit.
One of the games you're probably instantly thinking of is Stardew Valley, the wildly popular farming sim that allows you to grow your own crops, go fishing, and trawl the deepest caves for goodies to fry up later. From crafting Crab Cakes to conjuring mysterious Void Mayo, recipes are a core part of the game, giving you health, defence, and boosted skills.
And if you've ever wanted to try cooking some of the dishes IRL, there's The Official Stardew Valley Cookbook, out May 14 through Penguin Random House.
Co-authored by Stardew Valley creator Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone and Ryan Novak, the illustrated cookbook includes 50 recipes inspired by meals and food from the game including the Pink Cake, Lucky Lunch, and Crab Cakes. As the game itself is structured across the four seasons and urges a knowledge of seasonality with produce, the book is also organised into spring, summer, autumn, and winter recipes.
Plus, there's a letter from the game's beloved but absent character, your grandfather who bequeathed you his farm (the one you're cultivating in the game)
To give you a little taste of the cookbook, Mashable's snagged an exclusive recipe from Penguin Random House for Stardew Valley's covetable Seafoam Pudding. In the game, it's made in the kitchen or through a cookout kit, so you can do either. Whether it would pair with highly questionable Crystal Fruit wine is unclear.
Here's how delightful it looks in the book, beloved by friendly monster Krobus and pseudo-written by the game's TV chef The Queen of Sauce:
And here's the recipe for you below. In the game, it's a tricky dish to make with big benefits; you need flounder, midnight carp, and squid ink, in exchange for which you're given a +175 boost in energy and +78 health, as well as a +4 boost in your fishing skills. The authors have simplified the ingredients IRL, but there's no guarantee the dish's consumption will see quite the same skill boost. Sorry.
Stardew Valley's Seafoam Pudding
Reprinted from The Official Stardew Valley Cookbook by ConcernedApe and Ryan Novak.
Squid ink congee topped with marinated fish
From the kitchen of: The Queen of Sauce
Yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings
Imagine a crew of pirates, sailing the ocean for weeks on end with bags upon bags of rice in the ship’s larder and all the fish they could ever want. Not content with the same meal over and over again, the cook decides to get creative. Carp and flounder fillets are marinated in soy sauce and sesame oil with ginger, garlic, and white pepper. Meanwhile, fluffy rice is slowly cooked in a bath of umami-rich fish broth. Combine the two, and voilà! The entire crew gets to enjoy a savory, filling rice porridge loaded with that flavorful fish. I officially dub this dish Seafoam Pudding!
There’s no need to be jealous of that hypothetical pirate crew; we can enjoy that very same maritime delicacy here on dry land! We’ll even take it a step further by adding squid ink for extra flavor and a mysterious splash of color. But don’t be discouraged if you can’t get ahold of any squid ink (it is sold in jars); this is a delicious dish with or without it. Ahoy, landlubbers, culinary adventures await!
Ingredients
1 (4-inch) piece fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons soy sauce, plus more for serving
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon ground white pepper, plus more for serving
12 ounces flounder fillets, cut into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces
12 ounces carp (or cod) fillets, skin removed, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 cup jasmine rice
2 quarts good-quality fish stock
2 cups water
2 to 3 teaspoons squid ink (optional)
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions (white and green parts)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and soft stems
Peel the ginger and cut in half. Finely grate half the ginger on a box grater and place in a medium bowl. Cut the remaining ginger into very thin matchsticks. Finely grate the garlic and add to the bowl with the ginger. Stir in the 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon white pepper. Add the fish and gently stir until the pieces are coated with seasoning. Place in the refrigerator to chill.
Put the rice in a fine-mesh strainer and quickly rinse with cold water.
In a medium Dutch oven over medium-high heat, combine the stock, water, and rice. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the rice is soft and the mixture is thick and slightly creamy, about 1 hour. (The consistency will be similar to porridge or a slightly looser rice pudding.) Stir in the squid ink, if using.
Use tongs to lift the fish pieces, one by one, from the marinade (discard the marinade) and gently nestle them in the simmering rice pudding. Cover with a lid and simmer until the fish is just cooked through and becoming flaky, about 10 minutes, lifting the lid and gently stirring occasionally (if some of the fish breaks apart, that is okay). The pudding will be thick, but you can stir in additional hot water (or stock) to make it thinner, if you prefer.
To serve, ladle the seafoam pudding into individual bowls, then drizzle with additional sesame oil and sprinkle with additional white pepper, if desired. Top with the sliced ginger, the scallions, and cilantro. Serve immediately, with additional soy sauce on the side.
Queen’s Tip: If you can’t find carp or flounder, cod makes an excellent alternative.
Reprinted from The Official Stardew Valley Cookbook by ConcernedApe and Ryan Novak. © 2024 by ConcernedApe LLC. Published by Random House Worlds, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.