Welcome to our March 2024 JOC Cooking Challenge!

A white ceramic plate containing Okonomiyaki, a savory Japanese cabbage pancake topped with okonomi sauce, Kewpie mayo, and bonito flakes.

As we enter the third month of the year, it’s time for our first Cooking Challenge of the year. This is our third year hosting this fun contest, and we are super excited to be cooking Japanese dishes with you. This month, we are making an iconic Japanese street food that is well-loved by all ages. I hope you’ll join us and consider this your March bucket list!

This Month’s Recipe Challenge: Okonomiyaki

The recipe for this challenge is Okonomiyaki, the popular Japanese savory pancake. My okonomiyaki recipe has been on Just One Cookbook since March 2, 2011—and that’s 13 years!!!!!

This year, we reshot all the images (step-by-step and final pictures) and recreated the video. Just in time for this cooking challenge! I encourage you to check out the recipe, watch the video, and join us in making YOUR Okonomiyaki. This recipe is highly customizable, so you can decide what to use based on my suggestions.

If you’re vegan/vegetarian or gluten-free, please read the post for my substitution tips.

Please take time to read the entire post and recipe first before you head to the kitchen!

If you have any recipe questions, please leave them in the comment section of the recipe post. If it’s related to the cooking challenge rules, please leave your comment below. We’re ready to help!

A white ceramic plate containing Okonomiyaki, a savory Japanese cabbage pancake topped with okonomi sauce, Kewpie mayo, and bonito flakes.

The Prizes!

This contest is open to everyone worldwide. We will randomly select 3 winners at the end of the challenge using random.org. Each winner will receive a $100 Amazon gift card.

Everyone who has completed submission for the JOC Cooking Challenge is automatically entered into the prize draw.

Please note that we will NOT select winners based on the creations, but you need to make sure your submission meets the scope of the recipe.

How to Join the JOC Cooking Challenge

Make Okonomiyaki and follow the recipe as closely as possible so your final dish will look similar to mine. For the vegan/vegetarian option, please read the blog post for substitutions and variations.

*Please note that the submission rule has changed this year.*

To enter for your chance to win the prize (only one entry per person), please complete the following two steps.

  1. Email us your picture: Send one picture of your final dish via email (contest@justonecookbook.com) before 12 pm PST on March 31, 2024.
  2. Leave a (honest) star rating on the Okonomiyaki recipe post: Use the same email address as your photo submission. We’d love to hear about your feedback, fun cooking moments, kitchen mishaps, or difficulties that you come across during the process. We understand it’s an additional step and we appreciate your feedback.

Make sure to follow these two steps to complete your submission!

Feel free to share your picture on social media using the #JOCcookingchallenge hashtag.

JOC Cooking Challenge March 2024 Winners

  • Adrienne L
  • Linda W
  • Patricia

Congratulations! We contacted the winners via email.

Readers’ Recipe Submissions (103 Entries)

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Past Cooking Challenges & Recipes

This is a quarterly online event on Just One Cookbook. We host the challenge in March, June, September, and December. We’d love for you to join us in each challenge! To receive the updates, be sure to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.