Hunan cuisine is noted for its symphony of taste to accent the dish. They do this by concocting many different sauces. It uses contrasting flavors – hot and sour, sweet and sour, sweet and hot – pungent, spicy and deliciously sweet all at once.  A classic example is Hunan spicy beef with vegetables, where the beef is first marinated overnight in a citrus and ginger mixture, then  rubbed with chili paste before being simmered in a pungent  sauce. The end result is amazing depth of flavors with tender meat. 

Ingredients:
2 cups broccoli florets or (bell pepper onion cubes stir fried till crisp)
2 tbsps. cooking oil
2 tsp. minced garlic
4 small dried red chilies
1 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 2 tsp. water
Marinade
2 tbsps. soy sauce
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. Chinese rice wine
3/4 lb. flank steak, thinly sliced across the grain or chicken or tofu cubes
Sauce:
3 tbsps. Chinese black vinegar
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. Chinese Shoaxing Wine
2 tsp. palm sugar
2 tsp. chili garlic sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil

Directions:
1.Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add beef, chicken, tofu and stir to coat. Let stand for 10 minutes.
2.Combine sauce ingredients in a bowl.
3.Place broccoli in a large pot with 1 inch of boiling water. Boil until tender and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes; drain.
4.Place a wok over high heat until hot. Add oil, swirling to coat sides. Add garlic and chilies and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add beef and stir fry until no longer pink, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
5.Add broccoli or bellpepper and sauce to wok; bring to a boil. Add cornstarch mixutre and cook, stirring, until sauce boils and thickens. Serve with rice.