Thoroughly wash the pumpkin greens under running water because they often carry soil and other little bits of debris. Do not skip this step, because chewing soil is not very pleasant.

Pick through the pumpkin greens and discard any tough, large stems and matured leaves from the vine shoots and using only young shoots and tender leaves.

Trim and peel the shoots. The flesh at the very tip of the shoots, which is about the first 8cm, is tender and requires no peeling, but the rest of the shoot may require some peeling.   Cut the tips off , do not remove any tendrils or the fuzz because they can be eaten, and place in a container. Keep the unopened flowers and baby pumpkin, they add extra texture and colour to the dish.

Peel the rest of the shoots as described in note 2 below. Stop when you reach the part when the shoot gets too fibrous and tough. Discard them.

Peel the leafstalks-You may have to also peel the leaf stalks, the part that connects the leaf to the stem. Refer to note 3 below.

Once all the pumpkin greens have been cleaned and peeled, cut it into 4 cm lengths and keep.

Wash your pork belly and pat dry.

Cut it into easy-to-manage lengths that will allow you to slice it into 1 mm thick strips that are about 2.5cm long by 2.5cm wide

Place cut pork in the freezer for about two hours. This makes the meat hard enough to be sliced thinly.

Once your pork is  firm enough, use a sharp knife to slice it thinly. Make sure that you are cutting against the grain with the skin down

 Once you have cut your pork, place in a bowl and keep covered in a refrigerator until needed

Season the pork meat and place it in  non-stick a medium size pot, add the water, cover the pot and let simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. If your pork meat is tough, add some more water and simmer for about another 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. 

Once the pork has softened, pour out any remaining cooking liquor from the pan and keep.

Place the pork back on the stove and allow the pork slices to brown in its own fat for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan . Add a tablespoon of oil if the pork does not release enough fat.

Turn heat on high and add sliced onion and stir in, cook for about 3 minutes then add the ginger and garlic and cracked pepper and give it a quick stir.

Deglaze with some of the reserved cooking liquor or 20ml water, remove from heat and keep.

Add oil to a large flat pan or a wok and put on high heat. Add the prepared pumpkin greens, the sesame oil and dark soy sauce and quick stir for about two minutes.

Add the cooked pork into the stir-fried greens , stir thoroughly. Season and remove from heat immediately to avoid overcooking. You need to enjoy the crunch of the stalks.

Serve over plain boiled rice or tossed in noodles.