How to Master the Qi’s Cuisine Challenge in Stardew Valley

The Stardew Valley 1.5 update brought enormous content to the game. One of the biggest things that arrived with the update was Ginger Island, a whole new area with tons of things to discover. Among numerous fresh locations on Ginger Island is a Walnut Room, which is also known as the Qi’s Secret Room.

To access the Walnut Room, the player first needs to collect 100 walnuts that are scattered and hidden on the Island. It’s located in the far west part of Ginger Island, just next to the Ocean.

If you unlocked it, you already know that Qi is waiting inside with a bunch of his special orders ready. If you didn’t unlock it, now you know.

A screenshot of Ginger Island in Stardew Valley
Ginger Island is a new area introduced in the Stardew Valley 1.5 update

Qi’s Special Orders

The thing about Qi’s special orders is that you receive gemstones with which you will be able to unlock many new and valuable items.

There is a great variety of special orders. Some require gathering, some monster slaying, and Qi’s Cuisine Requires cooking.

Qi’s Cuisine Special Order

So if you decide to try and complete this special order I got your back. This special order is worth 25 gems, and you will need to ship 100,000 gold worth of freshly cooked items. That’s right, that wasn’t a typo. The good thing is that you have 14 days to fulfill this special order which is a decent amount of time.

This special order can be completed in a few ways. Some of those ways will take a great toll on your stash, and some will be expensive. However, after you complete it you will receive 25 gems so it’s definitely worth it.

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Also, only items that are eligible for the special order are ones that are cooked after accepting it. Stashed food won’t do.

Ways To Complete Qi’s Cuisine

There are numerous strategies for this special order, and I’ll share all of them with you. However, some of them may not be profitable for you as it depends on your in-game wealth.

Cook Whatever You Can

This approach is ideal for individuals who are either unwilling or unable to part with a significant amount of gold for this customised request. However, it will cost you in another way as you will need tons of items for this.

If you haven’t accepted Qi’s Cuisine yet, you have time to prepare, and the best thing to do is to learn which ingredients are required for recipes you got and which ones are most profitable. Also stack up goods like flour, sugar, oil, etc.

A screenshot of Qi's Secret Room in Stardew Valley
The Walnut Room, also known as Qi’s Secret Room, can be accessed by collecting 100 walnuts on Ginger Island

Here are the five best dishes you can cook and deliver to Qi:

Dish Ingredients Sell Price How to obtain the recipe
Sashimi 1 Fish (any type, and also it’s best if the fish is worth less than 75g) 75g Linus will mail it to you once you reach 3 hearts with him
Poi 4 Ginger Roots ( you will easily find a lot of them on Ginger Island) 400g Leo will mail it to you once you reach 3 hearts with him
Pumpkin Pie 1 Pumpkin, 1 Milk, 1 Sugar, 1 Wheat Flour 385g The Queen of Sauce Winter 21
Pink Cake 1 Melon, 1 Egg, 1 Wheat Flower, 1 Sugar 480g The Queen of Sauce Summer 21
Triple Shot Espresso 3 Coffee 450g Buy it from Gus at Stardrop Saloon for 5,000g
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However, if you can’t make the number of dishes that are needed, you can combine this tactic with the one I’ll talk about next.

Complete the Special Order By Spending Money

The approach mentioned is the fastest, but it requires a substantial amount of gold to execute. However, if you are in the advanced stages of the game and have a significant amount of gold, or if you opt to prepare at least fifty percent of the necessary quantity, then spending money should not be a concern.

Keep in mind to scale the number of items and price I’ll include if you already have some dishes for delivery.

The most expensive way to fulfill this special order is to head over to the Stardrop Saloon and spend 200,700 gold on 669 coffees. Then craft 223 Triple Shot Espresso worth 100,350 gold, and you are good to go.

Image of Stardrop Saloon in Stardew Valley
You can spend a substantial amount of gold at the Stardrop Saloon to complete Qi’s Cuisine special order.

The second way is to visit my father-in-law, Pierre, and spend 166,700 gold for 1667 pieces of wheat flour. Then make 1667 Bread which sells for 100,020 gold.

Image of Pierre's General Store in Stardew Valley
Another way to complete Qi’s Cuisine special order is to spend gold at Pierre’s General Store.

Again, it will cost you, but it’s worth it.

General Tips and Tricks for Cooking in Stardew Valley

Cooking is sometimes an unfairly overlooked mechanic. However, it’s really helpful as it gives you control of making all sorts of food that will help you in challenging times by restoring your HP and energy and providing you with different buffs.

It’s always best to keep a certain number of fruits, veggies, milk, and eggs in the fridge and to construct the mill to craft sugar and wheat flour. Also, the same goes for the Oil Maker because the oil is a valuable ingredient. These things are base ingredients for many recipes so it’s really good to have them stashed. Upgrade your kitchen and keep your ingredients in the fridge as they will be immediately available for crafting, and you will save yourself from the pain of moving around and getting the ingredients.

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Don’t forget to watch Queen of sauce to learn new recipes.

Conclusion

Good luck with this special order, and don’t forget that it’s worth it as it’s the only way to get some unique and rewarding items like Sprinkler Pressure Nozzle or Galaxy Soul for upgrading your Galaxy Sword. Don’t give up.

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