Dang Coconut Chips
Sweet, salty and Kickstarted snacks
Vincent Kitirattragarn’s mother knows Bangkok-style street food. So when Kitirattragarn decided to abandon a corporate San Francisco gig to pursue cooking, he knew who to call first. It was while munching on toasted coconut—a key ingredient in her recipe for Thai lettuce wraps—that he hatched the concept for Dang chips (named for his food-savvy mom): a sweet, lightly salted snack made from crunchy slices of dehydrated coconut.
Billed as a standalone chip as well as a crispy topping for salads and desserts, it doesn’t hurt that Dang chips—the first batch of which were funded through Kitirattragarn’s successful Kickstarter campaign this August—is launching at the peak of coconut-mania. Still, the ingredient has been hyped for good reason—rich in lauric acid (a “good cholesterol”), the chips boast many of the same health benefits as coconut oil, and are also high in fiber, making them more filling than your typical 3pm snack fix.
The unusual salty-sweet flavor is undeniably delicious (if slightly sugary), but Kitirattragarn’s real triumph is texture. Unlike most shredded or raw coconut products, which skew toward a chewy consistency, Dang has struck upon the perfect crackling crunch, with just a hint of toasted flakiness.
For more information on Dang chips or to find your nearest retailer, visit the company website.
Images by Graham Hiemstra
