Cooking basics: Spring rolls

I have been a writer for more years than I can recall, but sometimes a video is a good way to share how to do something,

Today, we'll try both approaches for learning how to make a summer roll. It's kind of like making a burrito, but the skin is much more fragile. 

Most people use the terms spring and summer rolls interchangably, but I am making the distiction that spring rolls are the heavier, fried rolls and summer rolls are steamed and made with rice paper.

I have a video of Aunt Caroline, who is from Vietnam, making summer rolls and I will include written instructions as well. Aunt Caroline is not a vegetarian so her spring rolls include some flesh. She is one of the best cooks I have ever met, She makes delicious dishes in a flash. Don't worry that she's making the rolls for carnivores. What we're focusing on here, though, is the technique.

1. The most important thing when making a summer roll is to have all of your ingredients ready to go..."mise en place" (everything put in its place) as they say in good cooking classes. Make sure all of your ingredients are chopped, prepped and within easy reach before you start.
2. Take a rice paper wrapper and get it wet all the way around without soaking it.
3. Lay it on a cutting board and fill it with all your veggies, leaving a few inches all the way around.
4. Bring one side over to the middle andflatten it above and below the filling.
5. Repeat on the other side.
6. Bring the top down and flatten right up against the bottom of the filling.
7. Roll from the bottom, tucking as you go until you have a tight roll and put it aside on a plate. Line them up, try to keep the rolls separate as they will stick together.
8. Steam and serve.