In order to join and win the cooking contest, you need to submit a dish cooked by yourself. You need the following to cook dishes in the game:
- Kitchen: Comes with the first house expansion
- Utensils and Seasonings: Bought from the TV Shopping Network
Since you’re unlikely to have the kitchen by the 22nd of spring, it is impossible to win the contest in the first year. You can enter the contest by submitting a Grape Juice bought from Aja Winery or a Spa-Boiled Egg, but you cannot win with these.
Relaxation Tea – A Guaranteed Win
It is a guaranteed win if you join the cooking contest with the Relaxation Tea. It is a simple dish but the tricky part is getting the ingredient Relaxation Tea Leaves.
Check the detailed guide on how to get Relaxation Tea Leaves here: How to Get the Relaxation Tea Leaves in Harvest Moon Back to Nature
Recipe: Relaxation Tea
Utensil: Pot, Knife (optional)
Seasoning: Sugar (optional)
Ingredient: Relaxation Tea Leaves
Optional Ingredients: Apple, Blue, Red, or Green Grass, Honey, Pineapple, Orangecup Fruit, Milk, Pineapple, Wild Grape, Wine
Recipes to Use
If you don’t have the relaxation tea leaves, there’s still tons of recipes in the game to choose from.
Cooking a recipe that has many ingredients and recipes that recover lots of stamina increases your chances of winning the contest.
Below are some easy recipes you can cook that have lots of optional ingredients:
Recipe: Fried Rice
Utensil: Frying Pan
Seasoning: Salt, Sugar, Soy Sauce
Ingredients: Oil Rice Ball, Egg
Optional Ingredients: Bamboo shoot, Boiled Egg, Carrot, Corn, Cabbage, Cucumber, Fish (any size), Green Pepper, Grilled Fish, Onion, Mushroom, Sashimi, Scrambled Eggs, Stir Fry, Spinach, Truffle
Recipe: Curry Noodles
Utensil: Pot, Rolling Pin, Knife
Seasoning: Salt, Miso Paste, Soy Sauce, Sugar (all are optional)
Ingredients: Curry Powder, Flour
Optional Ingredients: Bamboo shoot, Carrot, Cabbage, Egg, Eggplant, Fish (any size), Green Pepper, Onion, Mushroom, Sweet Potato, Turnip, Truffle
Recipe: Omelet
Utensil: Frying Pan, Whisk (optional)
Seasoning: Salt (optional)
Ingredients: Egg, Milk, Oil
Optional Ingredients: Bamboo shoot, Carrot, Cabbage, Corn, Cheese, Fish (any size), Eggplant, Green Pepper, Ketchup, Mayonnaise, Potato, Pumpkin, Onion, Truffle, Sweet Potato
You can check the full list of recipes in Harvest Moon Back to Nature here: How to Get All Recipes in Harvest Moon Back to Nature
The Cooking Festival
Bring your cooked dish to the Town Square on the day of the event. Speak with Mayor Thomas while holding the dish you wish to enter with. The Gourmet will then taste the contestant’s dishes one by one.
If the Gourmet announces you as the winner of the annual Cooking Festival, the villagers gain +20 affection. All the girls will gain +500 affection as well.
