Sichuan pepper, or Szechuan pepper, is used in Western China’s regional cuisine to bring distinctive cold-heat to dishes. Sichuan pepper falls into China’s ‘ma’ flavour category (mouth-numbing spiciness) rather than ‘la’ (chilli hotness), which results in an unusual, tongue-tingling flavour sensation. Sichuan pepper is often used in cooking alongside star anise, ginger and red chillies.