Mille-Feuille Nabe ミルフィーユ鍋

• Gather all the ingredients.
• Slice the ginger and thinly cut the green onion/scallion. Keep the ginger on the side and put the green onion in a small serving bowl.
• Cut the head of napa cabbage into quarters lengthwise; DO NOT cut off the core from the four wedges yet. The core keeps the leaves attached at the root end and makes layering in the pork belly much easier. Next, carefully wash the leaves without detaching them from the core and drain well. Don’t throw away any leaves that naturally come off while rinsing. We’ll use them later on.
• Layer the pork belly into the napa cabbage by placing one pork slice between each of the leaves. If you have extra pork belly, you can put an additional slice in the outer layers that have wide leaves. If the pork belly is too long for the napa cabbage, you can trim it with kitchen shears and layer it in other parts of the napa cabbage.
• Once the pork belly slices are neatly tucked in, cut each napa cabbage wedge into 3-4 pieces each about 2 to 2½ inches (5-6 cm) long. Take care to keep the layers of napa cabbage and pork belly neatly stacked as you slice. Then, carefully cut off the core from the root end pieces without disturbing the layers.
• Next, start packing the ingredients in a donabe or regular 10-inch pot. Turn the stacks on their side as you pack them so the pink and green layers are visible. Start from the outer edges of the pot and work your way toward the center. I usually place the thicker cabbage leaves near the edge and the tender leaves in the center. Make sure that you pack the pot tightly as the layers will become loose once the ingredients start cooking.
• If you don’t have enough layers to pack the pot tightly, consider using a smaller pot or place other ingredients in the center. Here, I stuffed the center with the napa cabbage leaves that came off when I cut and rinsed the cabbage. You can also put enoki mushrooms or shimeji mushrooms in the center.
• Combine the broth ingredients in a separate measuring cup or mixing bowl. Don’t reduce the salt since the napa cabbage will release liquid during cooking and dilute the soup.
• Pour the broth into the pot with the napa cabbage and pork belly. Start cooking on medium high heat. Once boiling, skim off the foam and fat on the surface using a fine-mesh skimmer. Then, reduce the heat to medium low and cook uncovered until the napa cabbage is tender and the pork belly is cooked through, roughly 8-10 minutes.

To serve

• To make the dipping sauce, add the ponzu, chopped green onion/scallion, and optional shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) to small individual bowls. When the Mille-Feuille Nabe is cooked through, serve it hot.

To store

• You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for a month.