Oriental Pork Chops with Chinese Pickled Salad

This is a delicious recipe that fuses a few ingredients of the Orient: nam pla (pungent fish sauce used predominantly in Thai and Vietnamese cuisine), mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine) and light soy sauce (common to Chinese and Japanese cooking). The result is a subtle but wonderful happening of fishy, salty, sour, spicy, sweet flavors all at once. It reminds me of the delightful Sichuan-Chinese style of cooking that often fuses all these taste sensations. I hope this is one dish that will b