Butabara Nabe (Pork Belly Hot Pot)

1. Prepare dashi stock: Place kombu in 1000 grams of Water in a large pot and let it soak for 30 minutes. Heat the pot over medium-low heat. Just before the Water boils, remove the kombu. Bring the Water to a boil, then turn off the heat and add katsuobushi. Let it steep for 30 seconds, then strain the dashi through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the katsuobushi.

2. Prepare ingredients: Cut napa cabbage into 5cm wide pieces. Peel daikon radish and slice into 1cm thick rounds, then halve each round. Trim the stems from shiitake mushrooms. Diagonally slice scallions. Cut firm tofu into 3cm cubes.

3. Arrange the hot pot: In a large donabe (Japanese clay pot) or heavy-bottomed pot, layer the napa cabbage, daikon radish, shiitake mushrooms, and firm tofu. Arrange the thinly sliced pork belly neatly on top of the vegetables.