Namu Kimchi Korean Pickle Dennis Lee | Tasting Table San Francisco

Dennis Lee and his brothers have never shied away from taking Namu into territory few restaurants broach. A farmers' market stand. An organic farm. For a spell, a CSA box.

Now: grocery stores.

In early November, Namu started selling jarred versions of its cabbage kimchi ($10 for 16 ounces) at Bi-Rite and the 4505 Meats shop, the first stage in their plan to produce jarred seasonings and marinades.

The cabbage isn't grown on their plot in Sunol–that'd take a few extra acres–but it is made in the restaurant's kitchens according to the Lees' mother's recipe. The Namu cooks massage cabbage that has been salted with a paste of garlic, ginger, spices, and salted shrimp and fish sauce for depth of flavor; then they let it ferment for four weeks.

As jarred kimchis go, it's good stuff: potent in all the right ways, with a heat level well pitched to the cabbage's sharp tang.

Leave the kimchi in the fridge for a week, tightly sealed, and the jar will hiss when you untwist the lid; a bit of carbonation even lingers in the leaves. (It's aliiiiiiiive.)

Dennis suggests you add the Namu kimchi to soup for a jolt of acidity, or simply heap it onto burgers and hot dogs. "Those are all easy and awesome things to do," he says.

We agree.