Smear the drained rice with a 1 tbsp ghee. Keep aside.
Heat a little oil in a pan, shallow fry the coconut shavings till a gorgeous golden. Keep aside on a kitchen absorbent towel.
Smear the prawns with a little turmeric powder and salt.
Heat 1 tbsp of mustard oil in a deep bottomed frying pan. Add the prawns, fry till light golden (take care to not over-fry the prawns). Keep aside.
Add the remaining oil and 1 tbsp ghee to the same pan, throw in the bay leaves, crushed cinnamon, cloves and green cardamom, saute for a minute or so. Allow the spices to release their aroma.
Add the coarsely ground onions, fry till the onions are soft and lightly browned.
Stir in the ginger paste, saute for a minute or two.
Now add the rice, sprinkle in the turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt. Saute gently over a medium flame, taking care not to be too hard on the rice grains, some 3-5 minutes I would say.
Pour 2.5 cups of warm water and ½ cup of coconut milk into the rice, cook over a medium flame till the water and coconut milk are almost completely absorbed.
Add the fried prawns, grated coconut, fried coconut slices (remember to keep aside a couple of tablespoons for the final garnish) and sugar, give it a gentle loving stir.
Adjust seasonings.
Add the remaining coconut milk and ¼ cup of warm water, cook until the coconut milk is completely incorporated into the rice and the rice is perfectly done. Another 10-12 minutes I would reckon.
Switch off the flame, finish with a dollop of ghee, a throw of fried coconut slices and fried onions and a hearty sprinkle of garam masala powder.
Cover, allow to rest for 15-20 minutes. Narkel Chingri Pulao is ready to serve.
