Bon Appétit, Your Majesty Episode 8 recap: Ji-Young exposes the stolen gochugaru in a tense cooking showdown

The drama heats up in Bon Appétit, Your Majesty Episode 8 as Yeon Ji-young gathers the courage to expose that her special ingredient was stolen just before the cooking showdown at the palace.

Fans who've been following the latest hit K-drama know how important it is for Joseon to win, or else Ji-young and the other chefs might have to pay the price. Not only this, King Lee-heon's empire may also collapse, giving Prince Jesan the opportunity he has been looking for.

The title of Bon Appétit, Your Majesty Episode 8 is "Course N° 8 Rice Wine Beef Bourguignon", and the synopsis reads:

"Barely making it to the competition, Ji-young begins cooking — only to find her crucial ingredients missing. Can she overcome the crisis?"

The much-anticipated cooking competiton between the Mings and Joseon finally begins, and the episode ended with another cliffhanger. Curious to know? Keep reading below!

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Bon Appétit, Your Majesty episode 8 recap: The culinary battle between the Mings and Joseon begins

The opening of Episode 8 of Bon Appétit, Your Majesty is exciting with the arrival of the King and Ji-young just in time for the tension-filled cooking battle. In the first challenge, both teams are tasked to create an original meat dish that has never been seen before.

Ji-Young, filled with confidence, decides to use Korean staples, gochugaru and gochujang. But the twist is that the all-time favorite Korean chilli paste, Gochujang, wasn't introduced in the Joseon era. In fact, the people belived that red chillies were harmful and they used them to create poison.

But Ji-young had already fed Gil-geum and Lee-heon the gochunjung that she had in the first episode, which confirms that the spice feels good after eating food. So, Ji-young and the royal chefs dried the chillis and prepared the powder.

It was supposed to be kept in a safe place, but the female Ming Chef, Ya Feixiu, learned about the spice. As seen in episode 8 of Bon Appétit, Your Majesty, the chef traded Ming's special seasoning for Gochugaru.

However, Ji-young remains unaware of this in Episode 8 of Bon Appétit, Your Majesty until the competiton kicks off. With time running out. Ji-Young quickly shifts gears, utilizing her French culinary background, to cook Braised Beef Bourguignon.

She instructs her team to gather all the rice wine they can to temper the meat, serving a dish that has a foreign feeling while being a comfort food to her. King Lee-heon, along with others, is amazed to see the meat being cooked with wine.

Meanwhile, Ming's chef, Ya Feixiu, offers Kung Pao chicken but with a striking twist: a chili oil made from the missing gochugaru. Ji-Young recognizes the ingredient right away but doesn't say anything until the right time.

Also Read: Bon Appétit, Your Majesty cast and character guide: Who plays whom in the latest Netflix K-drama?

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The truth about the missing gochugaru comes out in Bon Appétit, Your Majesty episode 8

As the dishes are served, Ji-Young describes her dish with genuine emotion linked to the memory of her deceased mother. Many are touched by her authenticity, while the Ming envoy does not waver in his loyalty to their team.

Just before the winner is announced, Ji-Young asks if she can taste the Ming dish herself. The Ming envoy denies and insults Joseon chefs, but Tang Bailong, Ya Feixiu's uncle, allows it, claiming that even he wants to taste the meat Ji-young has prepared during the first round in episode 8 of Bon Appétit, Your Majesty.

Soon after tasting the dish, Ji-young accuses the Mings of stealing her gochugaru. This makes Bailong furious, and he asks Ya Feixiu for an explanation. Finally, Ya Feixiu admits she didn’t outright steal it but traded it for Sichuan pepper powder, implicating Prince Jaesan in the process.

However, Prince Jesan pretends to be a dumb minister and claims that he traded the spice out of concern. Since Ji-young didn't inform him about it, Prince Jesan traded it with Ming's peeper powder.

Ya Feixiu's actions disappoint Tang Bailong, and he announces that the Ming accepts defeat in this round. But after some drama, King Lee-heon declares a tie with an advantage for Ming: If there happens to be another tie in the next rounds, Ming will be declared the winner.

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Bon Appétit, Your Majesty episode 8: Round two dishes and a suspenseful cliffhanger

As Bon Appétit, Your Majesty episode 8 continues, the heat gets turned up even more. In the second round, Ji-Young is expected to cook a dish from the enemy nation, but without using Korean chili pastes.

She selects the traditional Peking Duck, a dish that requires great accuracy. Ji-young is limited by her injured hand, and the task seems impossible until Gil-Geum surprisingly displays incredible skills and perfectly cuts the duck.

Thanks to Chef Maeng, who proves to be loyal to the royal kitchen while Consort Kang continues to blackmail him. On the other side, Tang Bailong prepares a Buddhist platter centered around the Golden Lotus plant, where every single part of the lotus is transformed into something purposeful.

Bailong's emotional story of living in Joseon for almost four years and being saved by a monk impressed everyone. And then comes the most awaited moment: The scores of Joseon and Ming.

And just when the scores are about to be revealed, the episode is completed, leaving everyone curious about the result. Will Joseon win? What could happen to Ji-young if she fails?

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Don't miss out on Bon Appétit, Your Majesty episode 9, which will come out on Saturday, September 20, 2025.

Also Read: Bon Appétit, Your Majesty: Did Ji-young’s Mangunrok novel vanish after the King wrote his own?