Sarah Ahn | Korean Cooking 🇰🇷

We did it, thanks to you all. Our cookbook, UMMA, is officially out for pre-order. ♥️ Pre-order link is in bio. If you’d like a direct pre-order link, just comment “UMMA” and I’ll DM you. 😊 Update: Instagram won’t let me reply personally to comments! UMMA | Uhm-Mah | /ʌm.ma/ means “mom” in Korean. This cookbook is my tribute to the heart of every Korean kitchen—the umma. It’s packed with 100+ recipes that my Umma has perfected to bring you the very best of Korean cooking, each one authentic and unique to us. But it’s more than just a recipe book. Woven throughout are stories and conversations of love, intention, and the unspoken language passed down through food. Like the storytelling content I share here, it’s filled with thought-provoking, funny, and universally relatable moments that capture a life rich with wisdom, memories, and heart. Whether you’ll enjoy this book for a good read, or for the best recipes Umma developed to her fullest capacity, I hope this book fills your kitchen with warmth and leaves you with moments to reflect on, laugh with, and savor. UMMA is now available for pre-order. Your support in pre-ordering plays the BIGGEST role in the success of this cookbook and opens up opportunities for exciting in-person events, like book tours and cooking classes. We’d love to meet you, share stories, and make Korean food together in real life. Your support means the world to me—it fuels my passion for sharing Korean food and storytelling, and it supports my family. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being a part of this journey with me. A special thank you to everyone at @testkitchen for believing in us and giving us this opportunity. I can’t express my gratitude enough. We hope this book brings you as much joy and warmth as we poured into every page. - Sarah and Umma Ahn

We did it, thanks to you all! Our cookbook, UMMA, is officially out for pre-order. 🥹🇰🇷 Pre-order link is in bio. If you’d like a direct pre-order link, just comment “UMMA” and I’ll DM you. 😊 Update: Instagram won’t let me reply personally to comments! UMMA | Uhm-Mah | /ʌm.ma/ means “mom” in Korean. This cookbook is my tribute to the heart of every Korean kitchen—the umma. It’s packed with 100+ recipes that my Umma has perfected to bring you the very best of Korean cooking, each one authentic and unique to us. But it’s more than just a recipe book. Woven throughout are stories and conversations of love, intention, and the unspoken language passed down through food. Like the storytelling content I share here, it’s filled with thought-provoking, funny, and universally relatable moments that capture a life rich with wisdom, memories, and heart. Whether you’ll enjoy this book for a good read, or for the best recipes Umma developed to her fullest capacity, I hope this book fills your kitchen with warmth and leaves you with moments to reflect on, laugh with, and savor. UMMA is now available for pre-order. Your support in pre-ordering plays the BIGGEST role in the success of this cookbook and opens up opportunities for exciting in-person events, like book tours and cooking classes. We’d love to meet you, share stories, and make Korean food together in real life. Your support means the world to me—it fuels my passion for sharing Korean food and storytelling, and it supports my family. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being a part of this journey with me. A special thank you to everyone at @testkitchen for believing in us and giving us this opportunity. I can’t express my gratitude enough. We hope this book brings you as much joy and warmth as we poured into every page. - Sarah and Umma Ahn

What’s for dinner tonight! This Sausage and Vegetable Stir-Fry we had growing up when we wanted something savory and easy to make with pantry ingredients. This and gyeranbap (egg rice) were my brother and I’s go to meals when Umma was short on time but wanted to get in a tasty, filling meal. On page 165 of our cookbook, UMMA, linked in our bio if you want to follow along & support! Serves up to 4, but Umma and I finished it immediately haha. INGREDIENTS: 3 tablespoons ketchup 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger 1 tablespoon sugar 12 ounces (340 grams) beef franks, cut 3/8 inch thick on bias 1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil, divided 1/4 red bell pepper (57 grams), cut into 1‑inch pieces 1/4 green or yellow bell pepper (57 grams), cut into 1‑inch pieces 1/2 yellow onion (142 grams), cut into 1‑inch pieces 1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro 1/4 teaspoon black pepper INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Whisk ketchup, soy sauce, Worcestershire, garlic, ginger, and sugar together in a small bowl. Set aside. 2. Bring 1 quart water to a boil in a wok or large skillet. Add the beef franks and blanch for 1 minute; drain well. 3. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in the now-empty wok over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the bell peppers and onion and cook, tossing constantly, until the onion turns translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and the beef franks, toss to coat with the oil and cook for 1 minute. Add the sauce and cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce clings to the vegetables and franks and reduces to 2 tablespoons, about 1 minute. Remove the wok from the heat and stir in the cilantro and pepper. Serve with rice and roasted seaweed.

Full day of spoiling Umma for Mother’s Day #HydrafacialPartner. I ultimately let Umma pick the activities so she wouldn’t end up doing something she didn’t want to do haha. We had a fun day and thoroughly enjoyed the park, Hydrafacial, and the Michael Jackson movie. Hydrafacial is available in thousands of locations. If you’re looking for the esthetician who did our @hydrafacial , please show some love to Barbara and Maxine (mother/daughter duo) at 📍Barbara Beyond Skin Facial Studio @barbarabeyondskin in Brea,CA. Barbara is a Master Hydrafacialist and was incredibly kind and skilled.

it’s been a wild year full of gratitude. thank you to everyone who has supported ahnest kitchen since day one. we are so honored to be nominated with many talented peers. @beardfoundation

A full day of fun in Chicago! #SamsungPartner. Breakfast was at Kasama @kasamachicago . Their breakfast sandwiches are a must. Then we visited the Art Institute of Chicago @artinstitutechi to check out the Korean National Treasures. We spent nearly two hours there appreciating the art we admired growing up or in books. We finished the day with dinner at The Purple Pig @thepigchicago . Highly recommend all the appetizers there. Thank you Samsung @samsungus for bringing us out to Chicago. The Korean National Treasures exhibit is from Mar 7–Jul 5, 2026. @nationalmuseumofkorea #TheArtofUs #KoreanTreasures

This is my mom’s morning skincare routine at 67 years old (1 of 2), explained in more detail. This routine is used on days she’s doing an “everything shower”, on days she washes her hair which is about every other day (3x a week). She has very dry skin. On these days, she does the following: PREP: Cleanser (@officialvanicream ) Warm Towel Compress (to prep for face mask, 3x a week) Optional: Microwave warm towel compress after initial compress and compress again DIY mask (Greek yogurt + raw honey mask; 3x a week), rinsed with just water Ice Water Splash (or cold towel compress; daily) Optional: Sheet mask for 10 to 20 minutes. (She uses sheet masks sparingly on days her skin needs extra TLC; @dr.altheaglobal ) SKINCARE PRODUCTS (exact product varies by day depending on skin condition): Toner (if applying just DIY mask, no sheet mask) Serum (if applying just DIY mask, no sheet mask) Vitamin C (@goodal_official_us ) Moisturizer cream (@epii_global ) SPF 50+ (@anua_global )

Everything MayBee eats in a day! #OpenFarmPartner. It was a pretty busy day with work and in-person meetings so my mom helped me watch her. I also drop her off every other morning before I go to the gym so she isn’t home alone. Breakfast: Good Gut @openfarmpet Wild Caught Salmon Recipe kibble Broccoli Blueberries Snacks: Apples Soybean Milk Dinner: Kibble Carrots Celery Dental Care: Enzymatic Toothpaste VOHC Dental Chew

This is a cold noodle dish we enjoy when we want a quick snack. It was actually the first recipe we made here when we got our first brand deal. It eventually made its way to our cookbook, which we modified it to serve four. But in this video, we just made enough noodles for us two but kept everything else the same as the sauce can be stored in the fridge. Angel Hair Bibimguksu. Serves 4 to 6 Pg. 291 in our cookbook, UMMA if you want to support but full recipe below as well. 🫶 INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup (176g) gochujang 1/2 cup maesil cheong (plum extract syrup) 1/4 cup tuna extract sauce* 1/4 cup white vinegar or ACV 1/4 cup toasted sesame oil 3 tablespoons minced garlic 3 tablespoons sugar 1-2 tablespoons gochugaru 12 oz (340g) angel hair pasta 3 Persian cucumbers (240g), julienned, divided 4 cups (226g) green cabbage, thinly sliced, divided 4 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted Hard-boiled large eggs, halved Lemon wedges INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Whisk the gochujang, maesil cheong, tuna extract sauce, vinegar, oil, garlic, sugar, and gochugaru together in a large bowl; set aside (can also prep and keep in the fridge beforehand). 2. Boil water in a pot. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Drain the noodles and rinse under cold running water until chilled. Drain and gently squeeze the noodles to remove excess liquid. 3. Add the pasta, 2/3 of the cucumbers, and 2/3 of the cabbage to the bowl with the sauce. Gently toss the mixture until the noodles and vegetables are evenly coated with the sauce. Divide the pasta among individual serving bowls. Spoon any sauce left in the mixing bowl around the pasta, then sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Top with the remaining cucumber, remaining cabbage, and egg halves. Serve with lemon wedges. *You can substitute fish sauce (we recommend Three Crabs) for the tuna extract. Use 2 Tbsp fish sauce and reduce sugar to 2 Tbsp.

A special trip to one of our favorite cities, Chicago #SamsungPartner. We visited the Art Institute of Chicago to see the Korean National Treasures exhibit and got to see art we admired in books in real life. Thank you @samsungus for this amazing experience. The Korean National Treasures exhibit is from Mar 7–Jul 5, 2026 at the @artinstitutechi . @nationalmuseumofkorea #TheArtofUs #KoreanTreasures

What we had for dinner tonight! This is Beef Brisket and Radish Pot Rice, also known as Chadolbagi Mu Sotbap. My mom grew up eating just radish rice and says it’s such a nostalgic dish that she appreciates now. These days, we add a layer of beef and other layers of umami for more depth and flavor. Full recipe is below but is also on page 282 of our cookbook, Umma. INGREDIENTS: 2 1/2 cups water 1/4 ounce (7 grams) bonito flakes 1/2 ounce (14 grams) dashima (dried kelp), rinsed and broken into 2‑inch pieces 1 1/2 cups (312 grams) white rice, rinsed 8 ounces (227 grams) Korean radish, cut into 3‑inch matchsticks, 1/4 inch thick 2 tablespoons Kikkoman Hon Tsuyu soup and sauce base 12 ounces (340 grams) thinly sliced beef brisket, cut into rough 1 1/2‑inch pieces 4 teaspoons sugar 2 teaspoons minced garlic 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 8 green onions (120 grams), sliced thin INSTRUCTIONS (slightly summarized to fit): 1. Bring water to a boil in saucepan. Remove from heat, add bonito flakes and dashima, cover, and steep 15 minutes. Strain, pressing on solids; reserve 2 cups broth. 2. Add rice to a Dutch oven and spread evenly. Arrange radish over top. Add reserved broth and tsuyu and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low (medium if using electric), cover, and cook until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit 10 minutes. 3. Meanwhile, separate beef and pat dry. Cook over medium-high heat, tossing, until just beginning to brown with some pink remaining, 3–5 minutes. Tilt skillet and blot away any liquid with paper towels. Continue tossing and blotting until no liquid remains but beef is still moist. Add sugar and garlic; toss. Add soy sauce and cook until slightly reduced and beef is glazed, about 30 seconds. Stir in pepper. 4. Remove from heat and lightly char edges of the beef with a kitchen torch; set aside. 5. Remove Dutch oven from heat. Fluff rice and radish, scraping up any nurungji. Arrange beef (with juices) over half and onions over the other half. Torch lightly to char edges, cover, and let sit 2 minutes. Gently mix before serving.

Everything MayBee eats in a day! And everything she did. She naps a lot throughout the day. She’s like a cat that enjoys the park and walks. We adopted her from @mutt.hut.rescue in 2019. She is approximately 7 years old. Breakfast: - fruit - kibble with whole food toppers (whatever we are eating that morning). Snacks: - goat milk + dog snacks + VOHC accepted dental chew Dinner: - kibble with toppers (we rotate through toppers, today was pumpkin powder). Other Maintenance: - 1-2x a walk per day with visits to her favorite park, teeth and hair brushing per night, and monthly groom. She also has pet insurance which I think is worth it.