Put the pork, salt and sugar in a bowl, mix to coat, cover, then put in the fridge for at least 48 and up to 72 hours, so it gets well salted.

Rinse the meat to remove the excess salt, put it in a medium pan, add enough cold water to cover, and bring to a boil.

Turn down the heat to a medium simmer, leave to cook for 40-50 minutes, until the meat is nice and tender, then drain.

Put the oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat.

Once it’s hot, add the onions and garlic, and cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes, until soft.

Add the sliced okra, cook for a minute or so to soften that, too, then stir in the poached salted pork, spinach and pumpkin.

Mix well and cook for just a few minutes more, just until the pumpkin takes on a little colour.

Turn down the heat a little so the spinach doesn’t catch and burn, and keep stirring for a minute or so – the juices released by the meat and veg should stop the contents of the pan from drying out.

Stir in the rice, pour in 450ml water and the coconut milk, then season with the salt, pepper, bay leaf and coriander.

Turn up the heat to medium-high, then, once it’s bubbling away, turn down to a simmer and poke the thyme and scotch bonnet into the rice – this way, the chilli will release its heat slowly and flavour the whole pot.

Cover the pan and leave to cook for 25-35 minutes, until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid and is tender and cooked through – keep checking on it occasionally.

This dish is meant to be quite wet and sticky, so if the liquid gets absorbed too quickly or/and before the rice is cooked, add a little extra water.

Ladle into bowls and serve hot.