Japanese Curry Seitan Toasts with Mesclun, Cucumber & Furikake

Ingredients

• 840 g (about 4 x 210 g packets) Japanese-style curry sauce with vegetables, refrigerated
• 400 g seitan, sliced thin (about 5 mm)
• 16 g (1 Tbsp) neutral oil, divided
• 8 thick slices sourdough bread (about 640 g total; ~80 g each)
• 120 g vegan mayo (about 1/2 cup), plus more to taste
• 40 g pepitas (about 1/3 cup)
• 12 g toasted sesame seeds (about 1 1/2 Tbsp)
• 60 g scallions (about 4), thinly sliced
• 250 g cucumber (about 1 large), very thinly sliced or shaved into ribbons
• 20 g furikake (about 4 tsp), to finish
• 120 g mesclun (about 4 packed cups)
• 30 g (2 Tbsp) rice vinegar
• 20 g (1 1/2 Tbsp) toasted sesame oil
• 8 g (2 tsp) sugar
• 2 g (1/4 tsp) kosher salt, plus more to taste
• Black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Toast the seeds: Set a dry skillet over medium heat. Add pepitas (40 g) and sesame seeds (12 g) and toast, shaking often, until fragrant and lightly deeper in color, 2–3 minutes. You’ll smell a nutty aroma and hear faint crackling. Dump into a small bowl to stop cooking.
2. Prep toppings: Slice scallions (60 g). Thinly slice or ribbon cucumber (250 g). Set aside.
3. Make dressing: In a large bowl, whisk rice vinegar (30 g) + toasted sesame oil (20 g) + sugar (8 g) + kosher salt (2 g) and a few grinds of black pepper.
4. Hold the greens: Add mesclun (120 g) but don’t toss yet—keep it dry-ish until right before serving so it stays perky.
5. Brown the seitan: Heat the skillet over medium-high with neutral oil (8 g, about 1/2 Tbsp). Add seitan (400 g) in a single layer (work in batches if needed). Cook until browned on the edges and a bit crisp in spots, 4–7 minutes total, tossing occasionally. You’re looking for deep golden patches and a toasty aroma. Transfer to a plate.
6. Heat and thicken the curry: In a small pot (or the wiped-out skillet), add the curry sauce (840 g). Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring. Simmer 2–5 minutes until it’s thick enough to mound on a spoon and doesn’t run like soup. If it gets too thick, loosen with small splashes of water.
7. Prep broiler: Set your broiler to high. Line a sheet pan.
8. Toast the bread: Put sourdough (8 slices / ~640 g) on the sheet pan and toast until the surface is dry and lightly golden, 2–4 minutes (or toast in a toaster). A crisp, dry surface helps prevent sog.
9. Mayo base: Spread vegan mayo (about 15 g per slice; total 120 g) on the toast.
10. Top: Spoon on the thick curry (about 90–120 g per toast, aiming to cover but not flood). Pile on browned seitan (about 50 g per toast).
11. Broil: Broil 1–3 minutes until the curry is bubbling at the edges and the seitan looks a touch deeper and glossy. Watch closely—broilers go from “perfect” to “burnt” fast.
12. Toss greens: Right before serving, toss the mesclun (120 g) in the dressing until just coated.
13. Plate: Top each toast with a little dressed mesclun and some cucumber (as much as you like), then sprinkle furikake (about 2–3 g per toast; total 20 g), scallions, and the toasted seed mix.
14. Eat immediately: The ideal bite is crisp-toast crunch with hot curry and cool greens/cucumber—serve right away.

Notes

Curry thickness is everything for toast: simmer until it mounds on a spoon. If your curry packet is salty, balance the mesclun dressing with a touch more sugar (2–4 g) instead of adding more salt. To keep things bean-free and lemon-free, use rice vinegar for brightness. Storage: keep curry + seitan separate from bread/greens; reheat curry/seitan and assemble fresh for best texture.