Dried coconut and grilled rice paper

My hometown is in Central Vietnam. When I was a child, the whole region was economically disadvantaged, and sweets were a luxury for children back then. Therefore, whenever my mother took me to the market in the town, my favorite food was dried coconut served with rice crackers.

The vendors were very skillful; each pristine white slice of coconut was cut into a triangle and arranged in layers in a glass jar filled with water. The white coconut lay in the water, and the light from the glass jar made the coconut slices appear even brighter and whiter, attracting the customers' attention. Being taken to the market by my mother and getting to eat a piece of dried coconut with rice crackers—sweet, crispy, rich, and fragrant—was always a great reward for me.

Sliced ​​dried coconut served with grilled rice paper.

In my village, during the summer, some children would ask their mothers to buy dried coconuts or pick dried coconuts from their gardens, slice them, put them in an aluminum basin filled with water, and then find a shady spot by the roadside to sell them. The other children would gather around to watch, drooling, and then run home to ask their parents for money to buy some.

Childhood passed, the economy improved, children had more delicious and exotic foods to eat, and the snack of dried coconut and grilled rice paper gradually disappeared from my hometown. And it's been a long time since I last ate this dish, until today…

Soaking dried coconut in a bowl full of water, I watched the coconut glisten in the water, and memories of the past flooded back. Now that my teeth are weak, I only dare to eat a small piece, leaving the rest in the bowl. When the water in the bowl turns cloudy, I change it, and so the coconut remains fresh, delicious, and fragrant… That was also the time I immersed myself in this old snack from my hometown.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/huong-vi-que-huong-dua-kho-banh-trang-nuong-185230623170823695.htm