Whenever I have leftover rice from dinner, I would make baked rice for lunch the next day. Baked rice is so easy to make and requires minimal ingredients. Swensen used to be our favourite restaurant to go for baked rice until I realized that it is actually very easy to make them at home and it is so much more value for money as compared to eating them outside! The recipe can have so many variations to it. Sometimes I even add in some Japanese curry roux cubes to make a curry version of baked rice. You can even swap the rice for spaghetti or instant noodles! I guarantee you that your kids (and adults too) will definitely love this fun and easy recipe!
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat until foaming. Add flour. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 1 minute or until bubbling.
Add milk, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring constantly. until mixture bubbles and thickens.
Remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese.
Preheat oven to 180°C - 160°C fan-forced.
Cut the tomatoes into cubes and slice salmon into chucks. Combine onions, salmon and tomatoes in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Spread half the rice over the base of a greased 7cm-deep, 24cm (base) square baking dish. Arrange half the salmon mixture over rice. Spoon over the sauce and sprinkle cheese all over.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden. Stand for 5 minutes. Serve with parsley.