Umma: A Korean Mom's Kitchen Wisdom and 100 Family Recipes

by Sarah Ahn, Nam Soon Ahn

New York Times bestseller

Learn Korean cooking alongside social media star Sarah Ahn as her umma passes down 100+ family recipes and decades' worth of kitchen wisdom.

Sarah Ahn’s viral food videos of her and her mom have captivated millions of viewers with their behind-the-scenes look at Korean cooking and multigenerational home life. This collaboration is now a must-have cookbook blending the emotional intimacy of Crying in H Mart with practical culinary advice from Nam Soon’s lifetime of kitchen experience. The recipes are framed by mother-daughter conversations that are funny, profound, and universally relatable—plus all the food is backed by the recipe-testing power of America’s Test Kitchen.

Thorough ingredient Walk through a Korean grocery store with a Korean umma for in-depth guidance on what pantry ingredients and fresh produce and protein to buy.Recipes both traditional and Learn to make everything from simple banchan, a variety of kimchi, and foundational stews to an assortment of yasik (midnight snacks) and inventive desserts.Kitchen wisdom from mother to Shared confidences open a window onto a level of family intimacy rarely seen in cookbooks.
The Ahns understand that when generations come together in the kitchen, so much is not only food, but also knowledge, advice, family history, and love.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food, Culinary, Food and Drink

383 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 1, 2025

Reviews

[Miss✧Pickypants ᓚᘏᗢ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stellar Korean cookbook with wonderfully authentic, well-written recipes. The photos are plentiful and helpful, especially the pictorial how-to ones. The author does a great job sharing her Umma's (mother) recipes and stories, and the "kitchen conversations" between the author and Umma are an awesome addition.

This is definitely a cookbook worth adding to your library if you are a fan of Korean food, especially so if you also enjoyed Crying in H Mart. Will be very surprised if this book does not end up on all the lists for Best Cookbooks of 2025.

[Kerry A · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven’t had a chance to make anything out of this cookbook yet but I have to take a moment and remark about how beautiful it is. I can tell that this is truly a labor of love. Can’t wait to make a lot of great food in the coming months.

[Veronica Quebedeaux · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never thought that I would be crying over a cookbook but here I am … crying over a cookbook. 🥲
I’ve been following ahnestkitchen on my personal account for a long time and have tried several of her recipes, so I was looking forward to attending a discussion and signing for her and her mother’s cookbook Umma (엄마).
I was in tears almost the entire time, including while meeting them (Embarrassing 😅), but a lot of us were so it’s okay. ❤️
This cookbook is not only a treasure trove of recipes but an intimate look into a mother-daughter relationship and what it means to come from a family of working class immigrants. The love and respect that Sarah has for her parents is very evident throughout the book. I felt touched hearing her speak tonight as I experienced a similar upbringing and feel a lot of love and respect for my parents as well. I couldn’t help but feel emotional thinking about how much they’ve done for me and sacrificed for me to be able to live the life I’m able to now.
Not only are there recipes in this cookbook, but there are tips on how to source produce, how to start a pantry of Korean staples, and special steps that 엄머 Ahn takes to make her cooking special.
I enjoyed the pieces of family history as well as Korean history. The kitchen conversations and wisdom between Sarah and 엄마 Ahn are great additions to enhance the recipes even further and also a fun glimpse into their loving dynamic and relationship.
This cookbook was a tender reminder that food doesn’t only nourish your body, but your heart, mind, and soul as well. I can’t wait to try these recipes with my 엄마 too. ❤️

[AllBookedUp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great recipes but I’m more drawn to her personal stories. I truly appreciate Umma's Kitchen Wisdom to help guide us along on this culinary journey.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not sure when to say I've read this book, which I now own. I didn't cook any recipes from it. I did buy a bottle of maesil chong. This is the first Korean cookbook I've read that called for it. When I got to H-Mart, I found a whole shelf of different fruit sauces. I'm really looking forward to cooking with this ingredient.

Probably the best thing in this book was the framing of Sarah's experience of her mom. She decided to devote a section of the book to snacks. When she asked her mother what snacks she liked as a child, her mom commented that she used to find scrap metal to sell to be able to buy silkworm pupae (beondegi.) She comments to her daughter that she probably craved the protein. Then they both sat in silence, because...it wasn't quite the fun topic Sarah expected.

As a vegetarian with occasional pescatarian moments, I did find some recipes I want to try. I liked that they showed cold noodles made with angel hair pasta instead of the high-sodium somyeon. To me this seems like a great book for an omnivore. What I really liked was the way their family has adapted to the vegetables and other ingredients available where they live. I also liked the way Sarah included recipes from her uncle's bakery. The photos are beautiful and I'm happy I can flip through this at my leisure.

[Chocolate & Book Addict · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. What it’s about:
Cookbook filled with delicious Korean-American recipes as well as short little stories

2. What stood out:
- I loved reading about Umma/Sarah's little stories about their lives before each recipe. I especially appreciate that the stories were told separately from mother and daughter, so we got to see different perspectives from different generations of women
- I also enjoyed learning about the essentials of Korean cuisine and their history and how they link to the Korean/Korean-American experience
- Having amazing photos for every single recipe (not every cookbook does this - I need food porn)

3. What I learned/realised:
- Cookbooks can be a way for a family to create a legacy that can be passed down generations in order to preserve shared memories

4. How I felt:
- I really empathised when I read about Halmeoni's struggles raising her family in Korea after the Korean war, which resonated with me because I've also heard from my grandparents about the difficult times they had after World War 2.
- And I agree with Sarah, food is a great medium for healing all emotional troubles.

5. Verdict:
5 stars, read if you want to hear stories about the Korean-American experience mixed between delicious recipes

[Brianna McClure · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a truly wonderful book! The recipes were amazing, the book was beautiful to look at, and I can't wait to make some of these dishes in the future. But just as great as the recipes were the glimpses into the lives of this family both past and present. I teared up repeatedly when Umma talked about her childhood and about Halmeoni's life, and Sarah's respect for her father and uncle were also very moving. The inclusion of family history within the framework of Korean history was a fantastic choice, as it illuminates how the development of recipes and Korean culture is rooted in a very difficult past. Unfortunately, that past is not as widely known in the US as it should be, and I found these sections exceedingly interesting. Between the conversation blurbs, intros to each of the recipes and Umma's kitchen wisdom, I felt so connected to their family story, and I feel lucky to have spent 359+ pages in their company!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now THIS is a cool book. The book is huge and great quality pages!
I grew up in a Korean household with a mother who never liked teaching me how to cook so this book is so comforting. It has so much of Sarah and Umma’s story and I’m a reader so I LOVE reading about their story about each recipe. I watched my mother cook Korean foods so I know how much work it is so I expect to have to work with these recipes but don’t let that scare you. These recipes look and sound DELICIOUS.
Sarah and Umma, please continue making cook books. I’d also love to hear Umma and Appa’s life story.

[Aimee Santiago · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clear work of love, author Sarah Ahn chronicles her Mom’s love of food and how that love cares for those around her. The recipes are accessible and I loved how the tips were written as “Umma’s Kitchen Wisdom.”

The Korean Pantry section was most helpful for me, I’ve seen and heard many of the products but never know what I’m buying or the intended uses without trial and error. The cookbook “Umma” imparts wisdom that only an umma can.

[Taelyr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal. The love, care, and culture that went into this book is unparalleled. You can feel the importance of the recipies while your reading and flipping through. We have yet to make anything, though we have plenty marked to try! Wonderful writing, photos, stories, and important tidbits of wisdom from Umma.

[Karen Schelm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to follow

The recipes are great for any level of cook. The directions are clear and have visual guides as well. I have not cooked a lot of Korean food, but I have consumed it. Cannot wait to make some stuff I have not had the opportunity to have before. The peanut butter crumble bread and the rotisserie cabbage rolls are amazing!

[Cheryl Chen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy the stories behind each recipe. I also love the “kitchen conversations” between Sarah and her mom, especially on page 65 where Sarah’s not convinced a step in a recipe is necessary but when they proceed to make two batches to compare, Sarah realizes she was wrong. I think her mom knew all along but didn’t want to dismiss Sarah’s idea so went along with it so Sarah could see for herself. That’s actually probably the best way to pass down knowledge from parent to child.

Also, Umma’s kitchen wisdom are helpful tips and I like the side note format it takes- like she’s there providing some extra guidance and clarification. And I basically want to eat everything in this book…

[hosanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never thought I’d cry reading a cookbook, but alas! What a beautiful tribute to Umma Ahn – it was moving to witness the care and intentionality Sarah poured into every page. A true labor of love, and a tender reminder that every recipe holds threads of history, memory, and love.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I want to elevate my Korean cooking, I will refer back to this cookbook. Found from Instagram. Recipes written with care and detail. Most recipes are out of my reach at the moment, but this is a beautiful book. I saved some recipes to try

[Mark Meeks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading Sarah’s perspective of these special Korean dishes from her family’s life. It is a beautiful book and shares the raw experiences of being a first generation immigrant family in America. It inspired me to try kimchi and many other Korean dishes!

[MyImpossibleList · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great cookbook with wonderful photos and nice displays of the pantry. We found H-mart and spent close to $300. Biggest purchase ever - we never spent so much money in a supermarket. I'm in the middle of making all different kinds of recipes. Thank you :)

[Shanyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very detailed, pantry, prep, some recipes show step by step photos. History and food culture.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this collection of home cooking - all the different side dishes were amazing.
One to come back to! Great pictures and instructions.

[Margery Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excited to try braised tofu recipe!!!!

[Tania Little · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful journey filled with delicious food, stories and advice. I'm enjoying sharing this with my son and learning to make his traditional foods together.

[Senetra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found a few recipes I really want to make, but the best part was the mom's stories of growing up and her memories of her own mother.

[Anna Shanny · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of specialty ingredients, but has great recipes most of which are healthy & meant for everyday living. Love the beauty & meaning behind the cookbook.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best organized cookbooks I’ve come across

[JC Cornell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great recipe book that goes into the details of techniques and variations without getting too complicated.

[Francine Chu · Rating 4 out of 5]

A labour of love; enjoyed reading Sarah and her umma’s family stories of life in Korea as well as the US.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily one of the best cookbooks I’ve read this year!

[Renz Nikka De Gula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the history and dialogue included between Sarah and her mother. It shows how much love and care was put into this cookbook, and how much she loves and respects her parents.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

A lovely ode to a mother from her daughter. The recipes are delicious, simple but full of history and I can't wait to make them all.

[Kristen Peirce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I looooved this book. So full of heart, beautiful photos, and stunning food. I can't wait to make her recipes and learn more about Korean cooking.