Asian marinated pork steaks with rice noodle salad

For the pork chops: combine the sugar, fish sauce, garlic and oil in a shallow dish. Add the pork chops and turn to coat both sides with the garlicky mixture. Leave to marinate for 2 hours.

For the salad dressing: put the chilli, garlic, ginger, sugar and vinegar in a small pan, set over a medium heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Simmer until the sauce has reduced by half – about 5 minutes. Set aside while you make the salad and, once the dressing is cool, add the lime juice and fish sauce.

For the salad: put the noodles in a large heatproof bowl and pour over enough boiling water to cover. Leave to soak for 10 minutes, until the noodles have softened. Rinse under cold running water, drain well then toss with the oil.

Combine the sugar and rice vinegar in a bowl and stir in the shredded carrot. Leave to marinate for 20 minutes.

Drain the carrot and add to the noodles with the cabbage, mint and basil leaves, plus the toasted cashew nuts if using. Moisten with the dressing and toss everything together.

Heat a large, sturdy frying pan over a medium heat and cook the marinated pork for about 4-5 minutes on each side until the meat is tender and caramelised. Serve straight away with the noodle salad.