A Summer Salad At Yet Nal House: Refresh Yourself With Sashimi With Rice And Vegetables

Stretch your summer dining by trying a salad that mixes fresh greens, sliced sashimi and rice for a light, but filling, bowl.

We're talking about hwae dup bop -- or "sashimi salad" as it is rendered in English on the Yet Nal House menu in Ellicott City.

We had a terrific simple dinner at Yel Nal House.  The huge bowl of sashimi salad -- a variety of greens and lettuces, topped with sliced raw fish and other vegetables and served over steamed rice.  It's a filling meal, even though it is light and perfect for summer.  Your dress your own salad with a red chili sauce -- cho go chu jang --  that is chilis mixed with vinegar, sugar and sesame seeds.  That lets you set the heat however you prefer.

Hwae dup bop is a common Korean dish, and I got the inspiration from Lisbeth who posted on Lisbeth Eats about her favorite version at Hang Sung also in Ellicott City.

Lisbeth's beautiful photos show Hang Sung's salad with shredded iceberg lettuce.  Yel Nal House does a mix of whole-leaf greens, including several lettuces and baby chard.  Lisbeth says that's just wrong!  I have to admit that I loved the variety, but next time, I might ask for a knife to chop the greens a bit.  I'll definitely ask for small plates because I realized halfway through the meal that I wasn't supposed to be eating from the metal mixing bowl.  (We think the waitress just forgot.)

The beauty of Korean dining is that you can order a salad and eat so much more.  We got a half-dozen small dishes like you do at most Korean restaurants.  Those panchan dishes provide variety in the form of kimchi, sauced tofu, marinated vegetables and more.  We augmented the hwae dup bop with an order of bi bim bop in a stone pot.  That's the rice dish topped with a variety of vegetables and an egg.  In this case, the egg was fried, and the vegetables included some perfectly-cooked mushrooms that gave an earthy, meaty flavor.

Yet Nal House is a really friendly restaurant on Rte 40 west of Rte 29.  The menu varies from the Shin Chon Garden barbecue that we would suggest as Korean 101, and Yel Nal is welcoming to anyone.  If you go, check out the freezer of takeout dumplings just inside the door.  You buy them at the cashier in back.