Author and Photographer: Emily Bae

Just when you think good food and high carbs always go hand in hand, Mille-Feuille Nabe reminds you of the wonders that a simple, healthy meal can offer. “Mille-Feuille” means a thousand sheets in French and “nabe” means hot pot in Japanese. Like its name, the dish consists of layers of napa cabbage leaves and meat slices stacked and cooked in a warm, savory broth. Despite only needing a couple of ingredients, it possesses a rich flavor since the vegetables and meat are simmered in “Dashi,” or Japanese-style broth. This is a dish perfect for the winter weather, and it’s relatively simple and enjoyable to make. Here’s a spin-off recipe that even a novice cook like me can follow. Hope you enjoy!

Mille-Feuille Nabe Recipe

Servings: 2-3

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

300g thinly sliced pork belly or beef

1 large head napa cabbage

1 pack (around 20 sheets) of perilla leaves

1 pack of bean sprouts (optional)

1 Shiitake mushroom

Broth

2L of water

One piece of dried kelp

15 large dried anchovies

7 dried shrimp (can take out if you want a lighter taste)

Kombu tzuyu sauce (or heavy soy-sauce for soup)

Rice wine

Kitchen Tool:

Medium-sized pot for the broth

10-inch-wide heavy-bottomed pot

Cutting board

Instructions:

Broth:

Place the anchovies and shrimp into a medium-sized pot and cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat. Make sure to gently stir so they don’t get burnt.
Fill up the same pot with 2L of water and boil on high heat.
Once it boils, insert the dried kelp and let the broth boil for 20 minutes on medium heat.
While the broth is boiling, add 3 tablespoons of heavy soy sauce, salt, and rice wine. Adjust based on the taste of the broth. Add hot water into the pot if it’s too salty or add soy sauce and salt if it’s too watery.

Mille-Feuille Nabe:

After washing the cabbage, slice off the root edge. Peel off a cabbage leaf and place a perilla leaf and a slice of meat on top of it. If the leaf or meat slice is too small to cover the cabbage leaf, add more.
Repeat step 1 until you have around 5 layers of cabbage, perilla, and meat. Slice the stack into 3 equal sections.
Make more stacks until you run out of meat. Save up on left-over cabbage and perilla leaves for later use. Cut each stack into 3 equal sections.
(Optional) Create a bedding of bean sprouts and the left-over cabbage and perilla leaves on the bottom of the pot.
Carefully place each stack into the pot against the wall. Pile them up tightly right next to each other until a full circle is completed.
Repeat step 9 to create another inner circle.
Depending on the size of your pot and how many stacks you have, repeat this process until there’s a small empty circle remaining in the center of the pot.
For decorative purposes, create an ‘x’ mark on the shiitake mushroom’s head and place it in the center.
Pour the broth into the pot till the stacks are almost entirely immersed.
Boil on high heat for about 7 to 10 minutes until the meat is cooked.

And that’s it. Pretty straightforward, right? For an added flavor to complement the meat and veggie combo, you can dip them into sesame sauce or egg yolk like how Sukiyaki, another popular Japanese meal, is typically served.