Layered Napa Cabbage & Pork

A dumpling-inspired one-pot meal with layers of Napa cabbage and savory ground pork flavored with ginger, garlic, green onions, soy, sesame, and hoisin. Steam-braised in a Dutch oven until tender and served with a tangy chili-crisp dipping sauce.

Good

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

1. Prepare the cabbage

Step 2

Separate the Napa cabbage into leaves and wash thoroughly. Trim away only the toughest ends of the thick white ribs, leaving most of the ribs intact.

Step 3

2. Make the pork filling

Step 4

Combine ground pork, carrot, 6 sliced green onions, garlic, ginger, almonds, raisins, 3 tbsp soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin, 1 tbsp mirin, sesame oil, cornstarch, five spice, and pepper. Mix thoroughly until the pork becomes slightly sticky and cohesive.

Step 5

3. Build the layers

Step 6

Lightly coat the bottom of a 5–6 quart Dutch oven with neutral oil or sesame oil. Cover the bottom with overlapping Napa cabbage leaves. Spread a thin layer of pork mixture over the cabbage. Add another layer of cabbage and repeat, making approximately 4 pork layers. Finish with a generous layer of cabbage.

Step 7

4. Add the stock

Step 8

Pour 3 tbsp chicken stock around the inside edge of the Dutch oven. Do not pour it directly over the layers.

Step 9

5. Steam-braise

Step 10

Cover tightly and heat over medium until the liquid begins to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, covered, for 20 minutes, until the cabbage is very tender.

Step 11

6. Rest

Step 12

With the lid off, reduce the heat to simmer and cook for another 15 minutes. The cabbage will release considerable liquid as it cooks.

Step 13

7. Make the dipping sauce

Step 14

Combine 2 tbsp soy sauce, rice vinegar and 1 tsp mirin. Add chili crisp to taste. For extra flavor, stir in 1–2 tbsp of the cooking broth from the Dutch oven.

Step 15

8. Serve

Step 16

Scoop or cut vertically through the cabbage and pork layers so each serving contains some of everything. Spoon a little cooking broth over each portion and finish generously with the remaining sliced green onions. Serve the dipping sauce and additional chili crisp alongside.