Taiwanese puff rice

Does anyone know how to make puff rice at home? Is it dangerous?

Growing up in Taiwan the kids would rush into the street with a cup of rice whenever the rice puff man would appear. We'd line up to hand him the rice. He throws it into some bag?(my memory is blurred now as to exactly what he does)In a few minutes you hear this BOOM! He opens the bag and pours the puffed rice into a square mold, pour syrup and skin-on fried peanuts onto the puffs, press them firmly, and in a few seconds he cut's them into squares and Voila: Delicious and nutritious snack that's usually consumed before it'd completely cooled down.

What we get here in the store as puff rice? Not even close. Even the ones you get in Chinese grocery stores usually has traveled too far to be good.