On a cold winter night, when the weather is blustery and damp, there is nothing that warms myself and my family up more than a bowl ofza jiang mein–Chinese wheat noodles tossed with a hearty, spicy-sweet meat and tofu sauce and topped with crisp raw or blanched vegetables.

My favorite way to prepare garlic scapes is to stir fry them.And, as far as I am concerned, their perfect partner in the wok is spiced dry tofu.Here’s why: the scapes have the same wonderful crisp but tender texture that very young green beans have, and are blessed with a similar verdant grassy flavor scented strongly with the divine aroma of garlic.