Peanut Dipping Sauce

Whisk peanut butter, hoisin sauce, water, tomato paste, and chili-garlic sauce, if using, in small bowl. Heat oil, garlic, and pepper flakes in small saucepan over medium heat until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in peanut butter mixture; bring to simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until flavors blend, about 3 minutes. (Sauce should have ketchuplike consistency; if too thick, add water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until proper consistency is reached.) Transfer to bowl; cool to room temperature. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

FRESH SPRING ROLLS WITH SHRIMP
Peel and remove tails from 8 ounces medium shrimp (41 to 50 per pound). Add shrimp to boiling water along with salt in step 2; cook until shrimp are opaque, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to small bowl; use water to cook rice vermicelli as in step 2. When cool enough to handle, coarsely chop shrimp. When assembling spring rolls, place about 2 tablespoons chopped shrimp on top of noodles.

ASSEMBLING SPRING ROLLS
1. After layering herbs, cucumber, carrot mixture, and noodles on wrapper, fold up bottom 2-inch border of wrapper over filling.
2. Fold left, then right edge of wrapper over filling.
3. Roll filling to top edge of wrapper to form tight cylinder.