Wu Wanlin Transmigrates into a Chef of the Jin Dynasty

Wu Wanlin, a modern chef at a fine-dining restaurant, loses consciousness amid flames and thick smoke during a kitchen gas leak. When she opens her eyes again, she finds herself in the countryside of the Jin Dynasty. Clad in rough homespun clothes, she faces a wood-fired stove with barely any oil or salt, ingredients no one knows how to season with soy sauce, and people who have never heard of stir-frying or thickening a sauce.

Once celebrated by diners for her “Cloud-Kissed Truffle-Seared Wagyu,” she struggles even to light a fire at first. When she uses modern cooking techniques to improve a wild vegetable soup, the villagers regard her as a rule-breaking eccentric. But she refuses to give up. Starting with identifying native Jin Dynasty spices, she uses clay pots in place of pressure cookers to braise game, recreates caramel coloring with honey, and turns coarse wheat flour into soft, “improved” flatbread.

By chance, she prepares a feast of “new Jin-style flavors” for a group of passing scholars and connoisseurs. Her distinctive seasonings and presentation amaze them, and in this unfamiliar era, she discovers that her cooking can give her a place in the world. Thus begins the legend of a woman remaking herself amid the smoke and fire of an ancient hearth.