Tempura Fried Cheese
over Rice & Mixed Greens with Creamy Lemon Sauce
- Milk
- Wheat
- Eggs
Don’t let its name fool you—grilling cheese is great on the grill, but it’s also fantastic fried! Here you’ll coat it in a garlicky tempura batter, then fry in a hot pan until crispy on the outside and magically melty on the inside. Once golden, the cheese is served over jasmine rice and mixed greens, then topped with a drizzle of creamy lemon sauce and a sprinkle of toasted sunflower seeds. Yep, this meal is guaranteed to serve up smiles. Say (fried) cheese!
Ingredients
1.5 tablespoon
Sour Cream
(Contains: Milk)
½ ounce
Sunflower Seeds
8 ounce
Grilling Cheese
½ cup
Jasmine Rice
1 unit
Lemon
82 g
Tempura Batter Mix
(Contains: Milk, Wheat, Eggs)
1 unit
Tomato
2 unit
Scallions
2 ounce
Mixed Greens
1 teaspoon
Garlic Powder
Not included in your delivery
8 tablespoon (tbsp)
Cooking Oil
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Olive Oil
3 teaspoon (tsp)
Olive Oil
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Wash and dry produce. • Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens; mince greens. Zest and quarter lemon. Dice tomato into 1-inch pieces. Slice grilling cheese into four pieces (eight pieces for 4 servings).
• Heat a drizzle of oil in a small pot over medium-high heat. Add scallion whites and cook, stirring, until softened, 1-2 minutes. • Stir in rice, 3⁄4 cup water (1 1⁄4 cups for 4 servings), and a big pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook until rice is tender, 15-18 minutes. • Keep covered off heat until ready to serve.
• In a small bowl, combine sour cream, minced scallion greens, 1 tsp olive oil (2 tsp for 4 servings), a squeeze of lemon juice, and lemon zest to taste; stir until smooth. Add water 1 tsp at a time until sauce reaches a drizzling consistency. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add sunflower seeds and a pinch of salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and toasted, 1-2 minutes. Turn off heat; transfer to a plate. Wipe out pan. • In a medium bowl, toss tomato with 1 TBSP olive oil (2 TBSP for 4 servings), a squeeze of lemon juice, and a pinch of sugar. Season with salt and pepper.
• In a second medium bowl, whisk together tempura mix, garlic powder, 1⁄3 cup cold water (2⁄3 cup for 4 servings), and a pinch of salt and pepper. TIP: If batter is too thick, add more water 1 TBSP at a time until it reaches a pancake-batter-like consistency. • Add grilling cheese to bowl with batter; toss to fully coat.
• Heat 1⁄3-inch layer of oil in pan used for sunflower seeds over medium heat. Once oil is shimmering and hot enough that a drop of batter sizzles when added to the pan, add coated grilling cheese. Cook until golden brown, 2-3 minutes per side. TIP: Work in batches if necessary. • Using tongs, transfer to a paper-towel- lined plate or baking sheet.
• Add mixed greens to bowl with marinated tomato; toss to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper. • Fluff rice with a fork. Divide rice and salad between bowls in separate sections. Top with grilling cheese. Drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with sunflower seeds. Serve with remaining lemon wedges on the side.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the fried cheese, but some found it bland; consider adding more seasoning to the tempura batter 🧀.
- Ease of prep: Frying can be messy and tricky; some suggest cutting cheese into smaller pieces for easier cooking.
- Suggestions: Try grilling the cheese instead of frying, or add spices to the batter for more flavor.
- Portions: Some felt the cheese portion was too large; consider reducing cheese and increasing salad for better balance.
- Texture: The tempura batter didn't always stick well; ensure oil is hot enough before frying.
- Pairings: Rice felt out of place for some; experiment with noodles or a larger, more varied salad instead.
Reviews from our home cooks
This was an interesting recipe, and good flavors but strange combination maybe? We've made the fried cheese before with other recipes using spices, and this one was tempura batter on the outside. I didn't like this one as much as other recipes, and it being served on top of rice with toasted sesame seeds was a little strange. Even along-side salad. I have to say though, my husband and I loved the salad dressing and we were definitely full after eating these meals. This wouldn't be a go-to recipe for us, but we might try it again some other time.
Very good and tasty! The mixed greens were great when first serving on the side but when put under the hot cheese/next to the hot rice as pictured it wilted pretty quick/did not reheat well. That was more an issue with the timing / amount of people on my end tho.
The cheese is unreal - so so good! I was unsure about the role of the greens in the recipe - is it a side salad? Is it meant to be mixed in like a bowl? I think it would be better with some cooked greens instead but I loved that cheese & the rice was wonderful as well.
I did the super healthy thing of frying up the remaining tempura batter rather than tossing it. It was tasty and crunchy. The addition of the garlic to basic tempura batter is awesome. Really nice dish all around. Tasty dish.
I had trouble with the batter as I never did tempura before but it was well worth the effort. Crispy and delicious!
This was super delicious! I loved how the flavors worked together. It felt light and healthy with the tomato and greens to offset the fried cheese.
Tastes great. Fried extra veggies with the leftover tempura batter and it was a great addition! But protein sources outside of cheese would help reduce the fat content.
Love the cheese, we pan seared instead of frying with tempura
Easy! The fried cheese probably isn't healthy, but it is fun to eat!
I was surprised at how much I liked this one, given that kale is so bitter. The deep fried cheese had more fat than I would like, but it was tasty
