The verified recipe: catfish sashimi
Sashimi is the simplest dish confirmed by both a developer and independent footage. On October 12, 2026, a developer named Kyoto answered a new player on the Steam forum and explained that sashimi needs sliced fish on a plate and nothing else. That makes it a good first dish while you learn how preparation and plating work. It also needs only one ingredient, so a single market trip is enough to put it on your menu.
- Get a fish. Catfish is sold at the market in the September 2026 footage.
- Slice it. Use the preparation step shown in the cookbook.
- Plate it. Place the sliced fish on a plate and serve it.
There is no rice, seaweed or sauce in this verified version. If an older guide lists extra ingredients for sashimi, trust the developer answer and the current cookbook instead. Keeping the dish this simple is exactly what makes it useful while you are still learning the kitchen.
What the gameplay footage shows
NAC Games demonstrates the dish between roughly 08:18 and 12:11 in a September 27, 2026 demo session. The player selects catfish sashimi for the menu, prepares the fish by slicing it and finishes the dish by plating it. The steps in the video match the developer reply, which is why this recipe counts as cross-verified.
That agreement matters because recipe details have shifted between builds. A single forum post or a single video could reflect an older version or a misunderstanding. When an official answer and independent footage describe the same steps, you can rely on them with much more confidence.
How to read the in-game cookbook
For dishes beyond sashimi, the cookbook in your current build is the authority. Each entry tells you what ingredients a dish uses and which preparation actions turn them into a finished plate. Read the whole entry before adding a dish to your menu, not after the first order arrives. If an ingredient or step is unfamiliar, try the dish on a quiet day before relying on it during a busy shift.
Cooking in PAO PAO follows a clear pattern of preparing ingredients, plating and then serving the selected menu. Cozy Escapism describes that structure in its impressions of an earlier demo. Learning the pattern with a simple dish makes longer recipes much easier to follow once you add them. The cookbook and the daily menu screen work together, so keep both in mind when planning the day.
Check equipment for every dish
A recipe is only usable if your kitchen has the stations it needs. In her October 22, 2026 session, Becktoriiia chooses a menu at around 17:02 to 17:30 and immediately runs into equipment requirements. Choosing dishes first and checking tools second is an easy way to lose time on your opening day.
Before you open, compare each menu item with the stations you have placed. Add missing equipment while the restaurant is still closed, because editing is unavailable once service starts. The restaurant layout guide explains how to arrange those stations so you are not running back and forth.
Recipes changed in the October 2026 patch
The October 1, 2026 patch notes state that recipes were updated and one new recipe was added. Ingredient lists from older guides, videos or forum threads may therefore be out of date. Always check a recipe against your own cookbook before buying ingredients for it. Buying for an outdated recipe wastes money that you could spend on dishes you can actually serve.
This is also why this page does not publish a long recipe table. A partial list labeled as "all recipes" would quickly become wrong, and quantities, prices and cook times were not independently verified. We will add more dishes here only when they can be confirmed against the current build.
Building a small starter menu
New players do better with a short menu. An older LadiesGamers impression recommends starting with one dish, and Becktoriiia later says a simpler menu would have made her shift easier. Sashimi is a natural candidate because it has a single main ingredient and only two preparation steps.
Add a second dish once you can serve the first without falling behind. Each new recipe adds ingredients to buy, stations to check and steps to remember during service. If orders start failing, remove the newest dish for a day and rebuild your rhythm. The beginner guide shows where menu planning fits into the opening checklist.
Cooking recipes in co-op
Recipes work the same way when friends join, but the work can be split. Cozy Escapism's impressions of an earlier demo describe co-op players dividing restaurant tasks between them. One player might slice fish while another plates dishes, serves tables or washes up.
Agree on the menu before opening so everyone knows which recipes are in play. Shared kitchens get crowded, so leave space around the stations each recipe needs. PAO PAO supports up to four players in online co-op, and the co-op guide explains the player limit and known lobby fixes.
Recipes and restaurant income
Every dish you serve is part of how your restaurant earns money. Serving customers is the clearest verified income route in the demo footage, so recipes you can complete reliably matter more than an ambitious menu. A dish that fails halfway through costs both ingredients and time.
This page does not rank recipes by profit, because sale values were not independently verified. Choose dishes you can supply from your current ingredient sources and prepare with your current equipment. For more on earning, read how to make money in PAO PAO.
Where recipe ingredients come from
Recipes tell you what you need, but not where to find it. The confirmed ingredient routes are buying at the market, fishing, farming and gathering in the surrounding world. In the September footage the market sells catfish, carrots and tomatoes, which covers simple early dishes.
Catching your own fish can supply dishes like sashimi without buying it, and the fishing guide covers how catching works. Crops from your garden can supply vegetables, as described in the farming guide. For a route-by-route overview, read the ingredient locations guide.
What we are not claiming
Some recipe details circulating online could not be verified. A forum-only method for fried catfish, for example, has no developer confirmation or matching footage, so it is not included here. We also do not list cooking times, ingredient quantities or sale prices for any dish.
As Early Access begins, more recipes will be documented by players and the developer. When a dish is confirmed by an official source and independent footage, it will be added with its source and date. Until then, the in-game cookbook is the only complete reference.
Sources and further reading
- New Player — Steam developer reply
- Just a Cozy Lil Guy Running a Chaotic Restaurant! — NAC Games
- PAO PAO Feels Like Overcooked, But With More Charm — Cozy Escapism
- This Cosy Restaurant Game Is ADORABLE!! — Becktoriiia
- Pao Pao Second Patch is Live!
- PAO PAO Demo Impressions — LadiesGamers
- Pao Pao free demo is now available to play! — Dreland
- PAO PAO — ArtDock
- PAO PAO — Steam store