Mille-Feuille Nabe is one of the most popular hot pot recipes to cook at home in Japan. “A thousand layers“ of napa cabbage leaves and pork belly slices are beautifully packed and simmered in a warming dashi broth. It comes together quickly for a weeknight dinner or hot pot party that you will treasure during the cold-weather months.
Mille-Feuille Nabe (ミルフィーユ鍋, 重ね鍋) is a simple Japanese hot pot that is made with napa cabbage and pork belly slices cooked in a savory dashi broth. Why is the French word “mille-feuille” used in a Japanese dish? So strange right? Well, let me introduce this easy and delicious hot pot dish to you and explain the story behind the name.
Table of Contents
What is Mille-Feuille Nabe?
In French, “Mille-feuille” means a thousand leaves and typically refers to the classic French pastry that consists of three layers of thin puff pastry with two layers of cream filling and topped with a sprinkling of powdered sugar. This dessert is sometimes called Napoleon as well.
So Mille-Feuille in this recipe is the “thousand layers” of cabbage leaves and pork belly slices and Nabe means a hot pot dish in Japanese.
There are about three theories of how Mille-Feuille Nabe was introduced to Japan. The recipe first appeared in a cookbook back in 1991. Since then it became one of the most popular hot pot recipes enjoyed at home in Japan.
Mille-Feuille Nabe is very visually appealing, and the best part about the hot pot is it requires just a few ingredients compared to Shabu Shabu or Sukiyaki, and it tastes equally delicious!
It’s also a great party menu during the cold months. You can prepare everything ahead of time and cook the hot pot right after your guests arrive.
How to Make Mille-Feuille Nabe
The Ingredients You’ll Need
You can make the layers and soup base with any ingredients you prefer, but the basic and authentic Mille-Feuille Nabe is always made with napa cabbage and pork belly slices.
- Napa cabbage
- Pork belly slices
- Ginger
- Dashi (Japanese soup stock)
- Seasonings: soy sauce, sake, salt
Since the pork belly is the fattier part of the meat, a simple dashi broth is a perfect match for this dish. The flavors from the meat, veggie, and broth come together nicely for an amazing umami flavor. It is incredible how these simple ingredients can offer such a harmonious taste!
Jump to RecipeThe Cooking Steps
- Layer the pork belly into the napa cabbage by placing one pork slice between each of the leaves.
- Cut each napa cabbage wedge into 3-4 pieces each about 2 to 2½ inches (5-6 cm) long.
- Start packing the ingredients in a pot and work your way toward the center from the outer edges of the pot. Make sure that you pack the pot tightly as the layers will become loose once the ingredients start cooking.
- Pour the broth into the pot with the napa cabbage and pork belly. Cook on medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes until napa cabbage is tender.
- Enjoy the pork and napa cabbage by dipping them in the ponzu sauce.
Cooking Tips
- Pack the layers tightly! The most important thing when making this nabe is to pack the layers tightly! When the napa cabbage is cooked, it releases water and shrinks. As a result, the layers get loosened during the cooking process. Therefore, before you start cooking, you want to make sure the layers are packed very tightly and all the ingredients are not moving around.
- Start packing 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. This way when I run out of napa cabbage before the pot is full, I can still use my “backup plan” (read next section).
- Place the thicker cabbage leaves near the edge and the tender leaves in the center. I put thick cabbage leaves near the edge of the pot, and tender leafy parts in the center. Use one hand to hold the layers in the pot, and use the other hand to keep adding the layers. It’s okay if the layers get loose and slip. You can start fixing the layers when you put more in the pot to bunch them up against one another.
When Running out of Napa Cabbage
The goal is to fill up the pot with the layers till the center, however, if you’re making this dish for the first time, it could be difficult to estimate the amount of napa cabbage you will need for the pot.
For that reason, I recommend buying shimeji mushrooms or enoki mushrooms as a backup filler. Just in case you run out of layers of napa cabbage and pork belly, you can stuff the empty space in the center with these mushrooms. As they have a more neutral taste, they won’t affect the flavors of the dish too much.
When you’re an expert in making this dish, you can add other ingredients like meatballs or fish balls, but let’s stick with the basics today.
“Shime” – The Finale of the Hot Pot
Toward the end of the hot pot when most of the ingredients are consumed, you are left with the umami-packed soup. Don’t throw it away!
The remaining soup can be enjoyed with a serving of steamed rice or noodles. This last dish is called Shime (〆, しめ) in Japanese.
I like adding Chuka Noodles (ramen noodles) but my kids would always vote for udon when we’re having hot pot. Mr. JOC likes to add rice to the soup to make Zosui (Japanese Rice Soup). When the rice absorbs the broth, drizzle in beaten egg and cover to cook for a few minutes. Season with salt and white pepper and sprinkle with some green onion. It is so yummy!
Since the soup absorbs the flavors from the ingredients, it’s amazingly delicious. You can eat a small portion at the end, so don’t miss the finale of the hot pot even when you’re full.
Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.
Mille-Feuille Nabe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 head napa cabbage (4 lbs, 1.8 kg)
- 1½ lb sliced pork belly (or slice your own pork belly; see Notes for where to buy; do not use bacon, since it‘s too salty for this dish)
For the Broth
- 8-10 slices ginger (peeled and thinly sliced from a 1-inch, 2.5-cm knob)
- 5 cups dashi (Japanese soup stock) (use standard Awase Dashi, dashi packet or powder, or Vegan Dashi)
- 2 Tbsp sake
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
For the Dipping Sauce
- 1 green onion/scallion
- ponzu
- shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) (optional, for a spicy kick)
Instructions
- Before You Start: If you haven‘t made 5 cups dashi (Japanese soup stock) yet, here‘s a quick version using my favorite dashi packet. First, add 2 dashi packets to 5 cups water in a saucepan. Start cooking over medium heat. When it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 2–3 minutes. Turn off the heat. Remove the packets from the saucepan, shake them a few times to release more flavor, then discard them. The dashi is now ready to use.
- Gather all the ingredients.
To Prepare the Ingredients
- To make the soup broth, combine 5 cups dashi (Japanese soup stock), 2 Tbsp sake, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, and ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt in a measuring cup or mixing bowl. Don’t reduce the salt since the napa cabbage will release liquid during cooking and dilute the soup.
- Peel and thinly slice the ginger knob into 8-10 slices ginger and set it aside.
- Thinly cut 1 green onion/scallion. Put the green onion in a small serving bowl to add later to the dipping sauce.
- Cut 1 head napa cabbage lengthwise into quarters. I like to cut just the white bottom half of the napa cabbage head with a sharp knife, then pull apart the leafy top half with my hands. By tearing the leaves naturally, you lose fewer leaves compared to slicing. DO NOT cut off the core from the 4 wedges yet. The core keeps the leaves attached at the root end and makes layering the pork belly much easier.
- Carefully wash the leaves without detaching them from the core. Drain well. Don’t throw away any leaves that naturally come off while rinsing. We’ll use them later on.
To Make the Layers
- Layer 1½ lb sliced pork belly into the napa cabbage wedges by placing one pork belly slice between each of the leaves. If the pork belly is longer than the cabbage wedge, trim the pork with kitchen shears and layer it in other parts of the cabbage. If you have extra pork belly, put an additional slice in the outer layers that have wide leaves.
- Once you‘ve tucked in the pork belly slices, carefully cut off the hard cabbage cores without disturbing the layers. Cut each wedge into 4 pieces that are each about 2 to 2½ inches (5–6 cm) long, keeping the layers of cabbage and pork neatly stacked as you slice.
To Pack the Pot
- Next, start packing the ingredients in a donabe or regular 10-inch pot (I used a 4.5 QT Le Creuset pot; if you‘re doubling the recipe, use two 10-inch pots or one larger pot). Start from the edge of the pot and work your way toward the center. Turn the stacks on their side so the pink and green layers are visible. Position the layers parallel to the pot‘s side so they eventually form concentric circles once the pot is packed.
- I usually place the thicker cabbage leaves near the edge of the pot and the tender leaves in the center. Make sure to pack the pot tightly as the layers will become loose during 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.
- If you have extra layers, hold them in a deep baking dish or a container with a tall rim. You can add them to the pot later after you‘ve remove most of the cooked layers.
- Insert the thinly sliced ginger between the layers.
- Pour the soup broth into the pot with the cabbage and pork layers. If you are cooking at the table, bring the pot to the table. Otherwise, you can start cooking on the stove.
To Set up the Table
- At each place setting, prepare a medium bowl and a small bowl for each person. To cook at the table, set it up a portable gas stove and place the pot on it.For the dipping sauce, add ponzu, the chopped green onion/scallion, and optional shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) to the small individual bowls.
To Cook and Serve
- Start cooking, covered, 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 covered until the napa cabbage is tender and the pork belly is cooked through, roughly 8–10 minutes. When the Mille-Feuille Nabe is cooked through, serve it hot. Dip in the ponzu sauce and enjoy!
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.
Have made this twice in the last couple weeks and it’s been a hit. First time I followed the recipe directly and it reminded me of a soup my boss used to make when I worked at a Japanese restaurant; I actually would add ponzu sauce straight to it and it was one of my favorites. Second time, I used thin-sliced beef and it was also very tasty – kinda like shabu shabu – and I’m not sure which I like better. Also ended up adding daikon, onion, and shiitake – used twice as much broth to make sure it was covered but that’s just more for udon soup later! Recipe for soup is v easy to eyeball and adjust if needed (I like a little more sake in mine 🙂 ) and just an overall fairly easy weeknight dinner.
One other thing – other videos with similar recipes have the leaves separated differently – you pull them off the cabbage one by one and then nest them. I *think* I prefer doing this method because they just stack better and it’s easier to cut, but it also means larger sections of cabbage width-wise, so it’s kinda six one half dozen of the other. Both methods achieved the same goal.
Def added to our monthly rotation – just wish H-mart was closer so I could get good thin-sliced meats more often!
Hi Kelsey! Thank you so much for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your cooking experience with us!
We are glad to hear you enjoyed her recipe. 😊 Your version also sound so delicious! Happy Cooking!
Obsessed with this recipe! I’m going to keep making it until I get tired of it. It’s amazing how simple and few ingredients can make such a flavorful and delicious meal!
Hi Sally! We are so happy to hear you enjoyed Nami’s recipe. We hope you never get tired of it! 😊
Thank you so much for your kind feedback!
This has become a fast favorite – although streamlined, using dashi granules and konbucha instead of fresh dashi. Enjoying right now with homegrown Yuzu and Kyoto sake!
Hi Josh! Thank you so much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!
We are so happy to hear you enjoyed the dish and that it’s one of your favorites now. Happy Cooking!🥂
Hello
Instead of pork, can I use thinly sliced hot pot meat?
Hi Carmen! Thank you for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe!
Yes, you can use beef or other types of meat, but please adjust the seasoning, including sugar, etc., as would like. We hope this was helpful!
I’ve made this recipe so many times in the winter. It’s by far one of my favorite hot pots!
Hi Sam! Aww. We are so happy to hear this is one of your favorite hot pots!
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback. Happy Cooking!
I know this is already a vegetable dish but any ideas how if can be made pescetarian or vegetarian? It sounds super yummy but not too keen on eating meat. Thank you!
Hi Ashley! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post!
To make this vegetarian, we recommend using mushrooms instead of meat. Shiitake mushroom, Shimeji mushroom is recommended.
As for dashi, you can use Kombudashi. We hope this helps! 😊
Hello Namiko,
This napa cabbage looks so amazing. In the interest of keeping low fat, is there another
I can substitute for pork belly.?
Hi JEANNIE! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe!
To substitute the pork belly, you can try sliced Pork Loin.
We hope this works for you.
Made this for dinner tonight and it was a hit with my family! I wanted more variety so I purposely left space in the centre to put shimeji mushrooms. Besides mushrooms, what other ingredients can I put into this hotpot for variety?
To prevent the cabbage and meat layers from falling apart as I pack them into the pot, I put a small empty bowl in the centre of the pot and used it to hold the outer layers upright. Once the outer layers were done, while I held the layers down, I asked someone to help me remove the bowl and stuff the centre with shimeji mushrooms.
Hi Jessica! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your cooking experience with us!
Any ingredients that use for Nabe would go well with this pot. For example; Carrot, Enoki mushrooms, Shungiku (Tong Ho/Garland Chrysanthemum), Tofu, etc.
Here are Nami’s Nabe recipes, and we hope you find some ingredients that you would like to add.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/search/?q=nabe
We hope this helps!
If I don’t have napa cabbage could brussel sprouts be used in its place? Given nappa cabbage and brussel sprouts are from the same genus.
Hi Caroline, The taste will be different, but you can use Brussel sprouts too.
You can also try with Bok choy, Green cabbage, and Swiss chard. We hope this helps!
Hi Nami,
I was just wondering how long this dish can last in the fridge. I would like to make this dish, but considering this year’s social distancing rules, I would like to try making this dish for 1 person. I’ll use a smaller pot and adjust the amount of ingredients, but just in case, I’d like to know how long I can safely store this away for.
Hi Emily, To store, You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
We hope this helps! Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe.
Thank you so much! This really does help a lot!
You are welcome, Emily! We hope it turned out well.🙂
Hi Nami,
Can I use Chinese 5 spice instead of the shichimi togarashi (since I don’t have it on hand)? Also, if I use bacon instead of the pork belly, how much salt should I use?
Hi June, Thank you very much for trying this recipe! Chinese 5 spice has a stronger spice flavor, and it may be overwhelming this dish. A simple red chili may be a good alternative for this recipe. As for the bacon, we are not sure how salty is the bacon, so we recommend skipping the salt in this recipe and adjust the salt level at the very end. If you taste it was too salty, you can always add more napa cabbage or mushrooms to balance the flavor.
We hope this helps!