Both Dramas centre around a young woman, who finds herself amidst the struggel to refom a clan and the intrigue and strife for power that's accompanied by. The two heroines both work as a housemaid in a samurai household. While "Hotarugusa" focusses more on revenge, "48-ninme no Chuushin"s plot revolves around loyalty. "Hotarugusa" is also a ltittle bit more lighthearted and has some comic relief through the side characters, "48-ninme no Chuushin" is more on the sincere an melancholic side.

Although set in different periods (one historical, one present), both dramas are about women dedicated to traditional japanese cooking.
It is no complicated premise, but both series manage to make it appealing through good acting (especially by the two leading women) and a warm, lighthearted atmosphere without getting too simple or annoyingly repetetive.