Mille-Feuille Nabe

Ingredients

• 1 head napa cabbage (~4 lbs)
• 1½ lb thinly sliced pork belly
• 8–10 slices ginger (peeled, from a 1-inch knob)
• 5 cups dashi
• 2 Tbsp sake
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• Ponzu sauce, for dipping
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced
• Shichimi togarashi, optional

Method

1. Combine dashi, sake, soy sauce, and salt in a measuring cup. Set aside.
2. Quarter the napa cabbage lengthwise. Cut the white base, pull apart the leafy top with your hands — keep the core intact to hold leaves together.
3. Layer pork belly slices between the cabbage leaves. Trim any overhang with kitchen shears.
4. Cut off the cores, then cut each wedge into 2–2½ inch sections.
5. Pack a medium pot (or donabe) on its side, with pink-and-green layers visible, working from the edge inward in concentric circles. Tuck ginger between layers. Pack tightly — it shrinks.
6. Pour broth over the packed pot. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
7. Skim scum and fat. Reduce to medium-low and cook covered until cabbage is tender and pork is cooked through, 8–10 minutes.
8. Serve directly from the pot with ponzu, scallion, and shichimi togarashi on the side.