You're standing at the stove in Remy’s kitchen, the steam rising from the pot, and you’ve got a inventory full of ingredients but no idea what actually makes a Dreamlight Valley Shish Taouk. It happens to everyone. Honestly, the game doesn't always make it obvious which poultry dish is which, especially when you're staring at a Five-Star request from a hungry villager like Gaston or Maui.
Shish Taouk is one of those high-tier meals that feels rewarding once you nail it. It’s a 5-star Entree. That means you need five specific ingredients to get it right. If you mess up just one slot, you’re probably going to end up with a generic Grilled Fish Entree or some Mushy Broth that nobody wants.
What goes into a Dreamlight Valley Shish Taouk?
To make this dish, you need to gather items from across several different biomes. It isn't something you can just whip up the second you start a new save file. You’ll need Poultry, Lemon, Garlic, Oregano, and any Spice.
Wait.
Let’s look at that again.
You need Poultry. This is where people get tripped up. If you are playing the base version of Disney Dreamlight Valley without the A Rift in Time expansion, you literally cannot make this dish. Poultry is an ingredient exclusive to the DLC. You buy it from Gaston’s Meat Stall in the Glittering Dunes after you’ve progressed far enough in his friendship quests to actually open the shop.
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If you try to swap the Poultry for Fish or Game Meat? You’ll get a completely different meal. The magic of the Dreamlight Valley Shish Taouk lies in that specific combination of Mediterranean-inspired flavors.
Breaking down the shopping list
First, grab your Poultry from Gaston. It’ll cost you some Star Coins, but it’s the backbone of the recipe.
Next, head to the Forest of Valor or the Glade of Trust to find some Lemons. They grow on trees. They’re easy to spot because they’re bright yellow, obviously.
Garlic is a bit more annoying. You have to scavenge for it in the Forest of Valor. Look for the little green sprouts coming out of the ground. Don't confuse them with Basil or Oregano. Speaking of Oregano, you can find that all over the Plaza. It’s the most basic herb in the game, so you probably have a chest full of it already.
Finally, the "Any Spice" slot is your wild card. Since you already have Oregano as a core requirement, you can just throw in a second Oregano. Or a sprig of Basil. Or even some Cumin if you've been hanging out in Eternity Isle. It doesn’t really change the outcome of the dish, but it fills that fifth slot required for a 5-star rating.
Why you should bother cooking it
Energy. That’s the big one.
Because it’s a 5-star meal, it provides a massive boost to your stamina bar. When you eat it while your bar is already full, you get that "Well Fed" golden glow. This lets you move faster and, more importantly, gives you a higher chance of triggering "critical" harvests when you’re gardening.
Selling it is also an option, though usually, people keep Shish Taouk for gifting. If it shows up as a "Favorite Thing of the Day" for a character, it’s worth the effort of trekking to the Glittering Dunes. It gives a way bigger friendship boost than just handing someone a random flower or a piece of coal.
Common mistakes when cooking Shish Taouk
I've seen players try to use Ginger or Garlic in the "Spice" slot while forgetting the "Herb" requirement. In Disney Dreamlight Valley, the game categorizes "Spices" and "Herbs" somewhat interchangeably in some recipes, but not here.
The Shish Taouk recipe is strict.
- Poultry (Must be from Gaston's Stall).
- Lemon (Forest or Glade).
- Garlic (Forest).
- Oregano (Plaza).
- Any Spice (Basil, more Oregano, etc).
If you accidentally put in a vegetable instead of a spice for that last slot, you might end up with a Poultry Platter. If you use Butter instead of Garlic, you're looking at a different dish entirely. The game's cooking system is picky. It's basically a logic puzzle where the prize is a digital kebab.
Realism in the Valley
It’s actually kind of cool that the developers included Shish Taouk. In the real world, it’s a traditional Middle Eastern chicken skewer dish. Usually, it's marinated in lemon juice, yogurt, and lots of garlic. The game manages to capture the essence of that by requiring the Lemon and Garlic specifically.
Sure, we aren't adding yogurt in the game version, but the flavor profile is surprisingly accurate for a game where a rat teaches you how to fry eggs.
The DLC Barrier
It’s worth repeating: Dreamlight Valley Shish Taouk is an "A Rift in Time" recipe.
If you are a base-game player and you see this dish mentioned in online forums or guides, don't go crazy looking for Poultry in the Sunlit Plateau. It isn't there. You have to have the expansion, and you have to have unlocked the meat stall. This is a common point of frustration for players who see 5-star recipes online but can't find the ingredients in their own version of the Valley.
Getting the most out of your ingredients
When you’re out gathering for this, try to bring a companion with the Foraging role. When you pick up that Garlic in the Forest of Valor, a high-level Foraging buddy can toss you an extra one for free. It makes the grind much faster.
Also, keep an eye on your storage. Since Garlic and Oregano are scavenged items (they grow back on their own), it’s smart to keep a stack of 50 in a chest near your kitchen. That way, when a villager asks for a Dreamlight Valley Shish Taouk, you only have to worry about the Poultry and the Lemons.
Cooking in bulk is also a pro move. If you have the ancient cookers from the DLC, you can set them to make 10 or 20 of these at once while you go off and mine for Iron Ore or finish up quests for Jafar.
Final check before you start the fire
Double-check your pot. Make sure you see the five distinct slots filled.
- Poultry? Check.
- Lemon? Check.
- Garlic? Check.
- Oregano? Check.
- Random herb? Check.
Hit "Start Cooking."
You’ll get that satisfying animation, the sparkles, and a steaming plate of Shish Taouk ready to go. Whether you're using it to sprint across the map or to make Gaston like you a little bit more, it's a solid addition to your recipe book.
To ensure your cooking process is as efficient as possible, always maintain a small herb garden or a dedicated "flavor" chest. Stocking up on Garlic and Oregano during your daily rounds of the Forest and Plaza prevents you from having to hunt for ingredients when you're in the middle of a time-sensitive quest. If you're low on Star Coins for the Meat Stall, spend a few minutes fishing in the Forgotten Lands—selling a few Anglerfish will easily cover the cost of the Poultry needed for several batches of Shish Taouk.