Mille Feuille Nabe

Difficulty Level: 1 /3

Cooking Time: 15 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

• ½ head wombok/napa cabbage
• 400g skinless pork belly slices
• 2.5cm ginger (sliced)
• 1.1L water (for 22cm pot; adjust according to pot size)
• 10g dashi powder
• 1½ tbsp sake
• ¾ tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp salt
• Enoki mushrooms (optional)
• Shiitake mushrooms (optional)
• Carrot (thinly slice)

For Dipping sauce

• 1 cup scallion (chopped spring onions)
• Ponzu sauce
• Shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice)

Directions

To Make Dipping Sauce

• Divide scallions into 4 small bowls, cover with ponzu sauce and add a few dashes of shichimi togarashi. Adjust amount to your preference, set aside.

To Make Mille Feuille Nabe

• Wash wombok and drip dry.
• Stack about 5 wombok leaves alternate with sliced pork belly. Cut to the height of pot and arrange them in a circle until the entire pot is filled up. Stuff in some enoki mushrooms in the centre.
• Slot some thin carrot slices in between the wombok for a vibrant outcome.
• In a jug, mix dashi with water, sliced ginger, sake, light soy sauce and salt.
• Pour over the arranged wombok in the pot. Cover and boil till bubbling.
• Using a skimmer, skim away any scum that floats on the soup.
• Let it continue to boil for 5 minutes or till wombok is soft.
• Serve with dipping sauce.

The History of Nabe: The Japanese Hot Pot

From the Edo Period in Japanese History

In old Japanese homes, there was usually only one fireplace where the family would gather during winter evenings to stay warm, cook their food, and eat it while it stayed hot. It is thought that this is where nabe originated, as the earthenware dish is traditionally eaten by several people out of the same platter as it cooks. While nabe dishes now include a variety of ingredients, the first dishes were mainly prepared with fish, in part because Japan was under Buddhist rule, which denounced the consumption of beef. Later on into the Edo period, however, the country started trading with other nations and began using beef and other new ingredients.

Nabe Today

Nabe is still served in earthenware pots and meant to be consumed while sitting on top of a small burner so the meal stays hot and simmering. In Japan, it’s still consumed during winter to keep warm — but it’s widely popular in warm and sunny Honolulu too. In Hawaii, warmth might not be an issue, but no matter the temperature, people still love tossing in their favorite ingredients in order to enjoy the delicious flavors uniting over an open flame.