Cooking with what's on hand

 

Finished product

Jack's smile of approval!

In an effort to save money this month, my goal is to only buy the necessities from the grocery store and to use up what is in my freezer & pantry. My list of food necessities includes Milk, Bread, Eggs & Butter. I started last night by using some tofu I had on hand to make Better-Than-Takeout Sesame Tofu. http://www.food.com/recipe/better-than-takeout-sesame-tofu-444360 First thing I gotta say, don't make the same mistake I did and buy already cubed tofu. It's far too small and difficult to fry and not overcook. Next time I do this recipe I plan to buy whole tofu and cube it a bit larger. Overall it was a pretty tasty recipe. The tofu had a nice crisp shell and chewy inside (as long as it's not overcooked) and it took on the taste of the sauce quite well. The sauce! Wow. This is the fourth sesame recipe I have tried (first with tofu) and I gotta say the sauce is by far the best! So, even if you are anti-tofu I suggest using this recipe for the sauce and adding whatever meat you prefer. I doctored mine a bit my adding some garlic powder and a healthy glop of sweet chili sauce. I haven't been able to find chili paste and am not a fan of spicy anyway, but the sauce works pretty well in place of paste. I also think deep frying would be a good deal easier than the way they have you do it, especially if you cube the tofu small. Oh, be sure to have fans handy and the windows open when you start frying. The oil and cornstarch do not get along at all! Our house was full of smoke and crying babies. Still smells a little funky. The recipe calls for broccoli which I did not have, but it would have been even better if I had. Be sure to be organized and have everything ready before you start frying. It's easy to let it all get away from you. This recipe got the seal of approval from Da & J. Da loves the sauce and was surprised by how good the tofu was and J had thirds on the tofu! If you decide to try this recipe let me know how it goes.