A Ridiculously Easy, Tasty and Cheap Lunch

Last week I paid $9 for some fried tofu at Chow. It was delicious. Hot, oily, crispy-skinned cubes of tofu, dusted in seven-spice and sesame seeds, and dipped in that dipping sauce only Chow can make. I was starved, wolfed down the lot, and spent the rest of the afternoon re-living the oily taste and regretting every mouthful.

But it got me thinking about tofu, much mocked in this household, and possibly in yours too. So this week I've challenged myself to making a better-than-Chow tofu lunch.

For this ridiculously easy, tasty and cheap lunch, you'll need:

• Half a slab of firm tofu, sliced to your liking. 
• A drizzle of olive oil with several drops of chili oil added
• Fresh satay sauce. Mouth Trap's Fresh Satay (Peanut) Sauce is my pick. No nasties, 200gm for under $4, good peanut flavour and crunch.
• A sprinkle of coriander if you have some, but no big deal if not.

How to:
Heat the oils in a non-stick pan until pretty hot.
Slide the tofu slices in, and cook for a couple of minutes each side until golden.
Spoon a dollop of satay sauce into one corner of the pan and let it heat up.
Pile up on a plate and sprinkle with coriander.
Done.

What's that red stuff on the plate?

Ummm. Salsa. With chipotle sauce. What can I say? I'm addicted to chipotle sauce. I did have this lunch without the salsa a couple of days ago. It was better-than-Chow, but not great. The salsa makes my taste buds happy. It makes me want to eat this tofu over and over again.

The smokey chipotle and the sweet hot peanuts are happy plate mates. And the tofu mixes indiscriminately with everyone, so it's all global goodness.

So for this lunch, I reckon $1.50 for tofu, 75c for satay sauce, 50c (at the most) for salsa, and a few cents for oil and coriander. Let's say $2.80 for the lot. Ridiculous.