Sichuan pepper adds a mouth-numbing spice. Here are our favourite ways to use it, from fragrant soups to fried eggplant and Sichuan-spiced caramel.
Kung pao chicken
White-cut chicken, aromatic chilli oil and peanuts
Sichuan-spiced lamb ribs
Ants climbing trees
Ants climbing trees
The small pieces of minced pork mixed with the cellophane noodles in this Sichuan specialty supposedly resemble ants climbing trees. It may not have the most appealing name but this dish is delicious, with an unmistakable Sichuan flavour: spicy and mouth-numbing.