The palace girls that passed the test, including Jang-Geum are officially recognized as palace cooks. Jang-Geum go see her adoptive family. On the way back she stops by her mother’s grave site and tells her deceased mother about her success and weeps. She remembers her mother’s words and her mother telling of Jang-Geum to be the best palace cook, and to look for her secret recipe book she hides in one of the kitchens inside the palace.
Min Jung-Ho learns from the captured foreign woman that the one who saved him was a woman who had a gold bird with her. So Jung-Ho goes around town looking for information on the woman. He arrives at Kang Duk Gu, Jang-Geum’s adoptive mother and father’s home (also the wine maker) and asks about the woman. The wife stops the husband from telling Min Jung Ho about Jang-Geum for fear of getting her into trouble.
The Royal Palace kitchen women are ordered to accompany the king on his hunting adventure to prepare food for the king and the generals up on the mountain. A girl makes a mistake in preparing the ingredient causing food poisoning to herself, another maid, and Court Lady Han. So Court Lady Han asks Geum-Young to take charge and orders Jang-Geum to help.
Later, the king sends a messenger to let the girls know the king wants to change the menu to cold noodles. Geum-Young and Jang-Geum panic because there is very little time to prepare all the food and Court Lady Han is resting from the illness. Geum-Young prepares the soup but the taste is plain due to lack of ingredients and time. Jang-Geum thinks of an idea and starts running toward the spring water source with a bucket. She fetches fresh mountain water but gets her ankle injured on the way back.
Geum-Young and Jang-Geum make cold noodle soup with the spring water which gives the soup base a refreshing taste. The king and his generals return and the cooks bring food to them.