Cheese Rice

Serves 4pp

Bechamel sauce
40g butter (3 tbs)
1/2 cup plain (all purpose) flour
Large pinch of grated nutmeg
600ml milk
1 bay leaf
½ cup cream

1tbs veg oil
20g butter
½ large onion, finely diced
1 streaky bacon rashers, diced in strips
2 garlic cloves diced
1 tsp ginger diced
1/2 large red capsicum, diced
1 stalk celery diced
3 chicken drumsticks deboned and diced, about 1 cup
1 tbs mirin
¼ tsp dashi granules
¼ cup tomato paste (Watties)
3 cups jasmine rice cooked in advance (not too soft, water level just below 3 cup marking), cooled
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese (I used Anchor Tolby)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt to taste.

To make Bechamel sauce:
Heat butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add flour and nutmeg and stir to cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and slowly whisk in milk until smooth. Add bay leaf and return to heat then stir for 10 minutes or until sauce thickens. Remove from heat, add cream and let cool. Discard bay leaf and season to taste (about 1/2 to ¾ tsp salt)

Preheat oven to 200C. Put baking dish on uppermost shelf that fits.
Heat vegetable oil and butter in a wok over medium high heat. Add onion and cook till soft about 2-3 mins. Then add garlic, ginger and saute till fragrant. Add bacon, chicken and cook for 1 minute (till chicken turn white). Add capsicum and celery and cook for 30 secs. Add  cooked rice, tomato paste, mirin, dashi, 1 tsp salt and combine for about 1 minute.
Spoon the rice mixture into a baking dish and smooth over. Spoon the béchamel sauce on top, grate Anchor and Parmesan cheese on top and bake for 20-30 minutes or until rice is heated through and top is golden and bubbling. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes. I served with stir fried wong bok with harmai (dried shrimps). This was really nice. Well flavoured, texture of rice is just right, the béchamel sauce is exactly right.