Multiple layer table searching

I've gotten stuck on this problem a few times now when trying to make some contraptions with computercraft, And i just can't wrap my head around a good way to solve it.

This is a simple paint drawing of the problem:

The thingy to the left is a drawing of a multiple layered table, and the drawing on the right is a container with the colors i got. I want to get the green color, but i dont have one in my chest, So ill have to mix a blue and yellow color to get the green, i dont have thoose either so i need to go to the next layer until i get a color i already got in my container. Then ill go back up again through the colors until i have my green. Could anyone explain and easy and efficient way to do this in code? preferable a dynamic way. So this colored table could be even deeper, or if one color needs more colors to mix than 2.

So, I'm guessing that this isn't the problem you're actually trying to solve. You're probably trying to set up an auto-crafting system, similar to how AE works, correct? A system that, given enough recipe information, can craft a complex item from basic materials. An easier way to do this is to create a "flat" list of recipes, rather than a tree to a specific item. You might have this for your recipe list:

local recipes = {
  ["oak_planks"] = {
    creates = 4,
    pattern = {
      {"oak_log"},
      {},
      {},
    },
  },
  ["wood_door"] = {
    creates = 1,
    pattern = {
      {"oak_planks", "oak_planks"},
      {"oak_planks", "oak_planks"},
      {"oak_planks", "oak_planks"},
    },
  },
  ["chest"] = {
    creates = 1,
    pattern = {
      {"oak_planks", "oak_planks", "oak_planks"},
      {"oak_planks", nil, "oak_planks"},
      {"oak_planks", "oak_planks", "oak_planks"},
    },
  },
}

Then you'd want to recurse along the table, either using items from storage or using the recipe to make the materials you need.

Yeah first time i hit this problem was trying to make a good easy to use AE-like autocrafting. Right now im trying with breeding bees to get the desired species.

Woot, i think i solved my bee breeding problem atleast ^^ was not as hard as i thought.

function wantSpecies(species)
	local needSpecies = species
	while true do
		local parents = getParents(needSpecies)
		print(needSpecies)
		print(parents.parent1.." x "..parents.parent2)
		parent1 = findSpecies(parents.parent1)
		parent2 = findSpecies(parents.parent2)
		if not parent1 then
			needSpecies = parents.parent1
		elseif not parent2 then
			needSpecies = parents.parent2
		else
			return parent1, parent2, needSpecies
		end
	end
end

I was stuck with thinking that i needed to find all bees i needed at one function run. When i actually only need to find one possible "row" anyway to get the bee. Atleast this function looks to be doing what i want it to do so far