Folks-

I tried making Banh Xeo for the first time tonight and the result
wasn't quite what I'd hoped for. I think I made the batter too thick,
and perhaps didn't have enough oil in the pan...at any rate the
pancake came out about as thick as a "regular" western pancake. When
I've had Banh Xeo in resturants it's been more like a crepe and
crispy. Is there a secret technique to making these right? Do I just
need to cook them in a wok with a lot of oil, rather than trying to
use a skillet?

For those that may not be familiar with "Banh Xeo," it is often
listed as "happy pancake" or "Hanoi pancake" on Vietnamese resturaunt
menus. It's a thin, crispy pancake made of rice flour and coconut
milk, filled with shrimp, pork, bean sprouts, etc. and eaten wrapped
in lettuce with nuoc cham. They are *really* delicious...the ones I
made tonight tasted OK but the texture was definately wrong as they
were too thick/doughy.

I'd appreciate any hints anyone can offer!

Thanks,

Kiwanda