Sweet and Sour Pork

Overview

Sweet and Sour Pork is a high-value cooking recipe in Starsand Island. The in-game description reads: "Golden crispy coating envelops tender pork loin, glazed with an amber-colored sweet-and-sour sauce that glistens temptingly!" It is classified as a Rarity III dish at Item Level 4, placing it among the more advanced recipes available to players.

This dish restores 143 stamina when eaten and sells for 438 coins, making it a strong option for both personal stamina recovery and income generation. The recipe is unlocked through the Island Life app on the player's phone, which means it becomes available as you progress through the Island Life milestones rather than being purchased from a shop.

Sweet and Sour Pork requires four different ingredients: Pork, Flour, Sugar, and Vinegar. While Pork can be purchased directly, the other three ingredients must be produced through processing stations on your farm. This makes the recipe somewhat more involved to prepare compared to simpler dishes, but the high sell price and solid stamina restoration make the extra effort worthwhile.

Recipe Details

Ingredients

Where to Get the Recipe

Sweet and Sour Pork is unlocked through the Island Life app on your phone. Unlike recipes purchased from the Auraleaf Kitchen, Island Life recipes are earned by reaching specific milestones in the app's progression system. As you complete tasks and advance through Island Life stages, new recipes become available automatically.

Once the recipe is unlocked, it appears permanently in your cooking menu at any compatible station (Gas Stove or Campfire). You do not need to purchase it again or carry a recipe item.

Ingredient Sourcing

Sweet and Sour Pork requires ingredients from multiple sources. Setting up a reliable supply chain for each ingredient is the key to cooking this dish efficiently.

Pork

Pork is purchased from Zerine's General Store in town under the Ingredients tab. The General Store is located to the right after you cross the bridge from your farm into Starsand Town. Pork is available for purchase at any time during shop hours. You need 3 Pork per cook, so buying in bulk is recommended if you plan to prepare multiple batches.

Flour

Flour is produced by processing Wheat at the Separator. Wheat seeds are purchased from Graminova at the Happiness Seed Shop. Wheat is an all-season crop that grows year-round on standard farmland, making it one of the most reliable sources of Flour. Harvest your wheat, place it into the Separator, and it produces Flour. Each batch of Sweet and Sour Pork requires 4 Flour, so maintaining a steady wheat supply is important.

Sugar

Sugar is produced by processing Sugarcane or Beetroot at the Separator. Sugarcane is an all-season crop that grows in Paddy Fields, while Beetroot grows on standard farmland. Beetroot seeds are available at the Happiness Seed Shop earlier in the game, while Sugarcane seeds become available at a higher farmer tier. Either crop works for Sugar production; choose based on what your farm layout supports. You need 4 Sugar per cook.

Vinegar

Vinegar is produced at the Brewing Barrel. The Brewing Barrel ferments certain crops into liquid condiments used in cooking. Unlike the Separator, which processes ingredients instantly, the Brewing Barrel takes time to finish each batch (typically 2 to 4 in-game hours). You need 4 Vinegar per cook, so plan ahead and keep your Brewing Barrel running regularly. Building multiple Brewing Barrels helps maintain a steady supply.

Profitability

At a sell price of 438 coins, Sweet and Sour Pork is a solid money-maker in the cooking system. The primary cost is the Pork itself, which must be purchased from the General Store. Flour, Sugar, and Vinegar are all produced from crops you grow on your own farm, meaning their effective cost is the time and farm space used to grow Wheat, Sugarcane, or Beetroot.

For comparison, here is how Sweet and Sour Pork stacks up against other pork-based dishes:

Sweet and Sour Pork sits in the middle of the three pork dishes. Braised Pork Belly offers higher stamina recovery (+158) and a better sell price (514 coins) but requires 5 Pork, 5 Sugar, 2 Soy Sauce, and 2 Leek, making it more expensive to prepare. Pan-Fried Pork Dumplings use fewer ingredients (only 2 Pork, 2 Flour, 2 Cooking Oil) but yield less stamina (+105) and a lower sell price (243 coins).

Sweet and Sour Pork strikes a good balance between cost, recovery, and sell value. It uses only 3 Pork compared to Braised Pork Belly's 5, keeping the purchased ingredient cost down, while still delivering strong stamina restoration for exploration and combat.

Selling to the Merchant Ship on Monday at 200% price brings the sell value to 876 coins per dish. If you have surplus Sweet and Sour Pork that you do not need for stamina, stockpiling it for the Merchant Ship's weekly visit is an effective way to maximize returns.

Gifting

Sweet and Sour Pork can be gifted to NPCs. The following preferences have been confirmed:

Sweet and Sour Pork is one of Regis's loved gifts, making it a convenient way to build friendship with him. Since Regis loves many cooked dishes, keeping a few Sweet and Sour Pork meals in your inventory for gifting is a good habit. Avoid gifting it to Gust or Pastelle, who actively hate the dish, and steer clear of giving it to Panda, Sylvain, or Youfang as well.

Related Recipes

If you enjoy cooking pork-based dishes, these related recipes may also interest you:

• Braised Pork Belly: The highest-value pork dish at 514 coins. Requires 5 Pork, 5 Sugar, 2 Soy Sauce, and 2 Leek. Purchased from the Auraleaf Kitchen.

• Pan-Fried Pork Dumplings: A simpler pork recipe using only 2 Pork, 2 Flour, and 2 Cooking Oil. Lower sell price (243 coins) but uses fewer ingredients and less Pork. Also unlocked through Island Life.

• Soup Dumplings: Uses 2 Meat Bites and 3 Flour. A budget-friendly alternative when you want to save Pork for higher-value dishes.

• Sweet and Sour Cabbage: A vegetable-based sweet and sour dish that shares the sweet-and-sour cooking style but uses Cabbage instead of Pork.

Tips

• Build multiple Brewing Barrels to keep up with Vinegar demand. The Brewing Barrel takes longer to process than the Separator, and each batch of Sweet and Sour Pork needs 4 Vinegar. Having two or three barrels running at all times prevents Vinegar from becoming a bottleneck.

• Wheat is an all-season crop, so you can grow it year-round to maintain a constant Flour supply. Dedicate a section of your farm to Wheat if you plan to cook Flour-heavy recipes regularly.

• The cooking time is 2 minutes and 27 seconds per batch. If you need to cook many dishes at once, build additional Gas Stoves or Campfires so you can run multiple batches in parallel.

• Buy Pork in bulk from the General Store whenever you visit town. Pork is the only ingredient you cannot produce on your farm, so stocking up prevents extra trips.

• Sweet and Sour Pork restores 143 stamina, which is strong for mid-game exploration. Keep a few in your inventory before heading into the Moonlit Forest or tackling bosses.

• If you have surplus dishes, sell them to the Merchant Ship on Monday for 876 coins each (200% of the 438 base price). This is nearly double the normal sell value and one of the most profitable ways to use extra cooked food.

• Since Regis loves this dish, you can use it as a reliable gifting option whenever you pass through town. Gifting a cooked meal is one of the fastest ways to build friendship in Starsand Island.