Make cashew (or peanut) butter: Grind cashews in food processor for about 2 minutes until smooth. (*Or start with ½ cup (120 ml) prepared cashew butter.)
Make cashew (or peanut) dressing: Combine ginger, garlic, cashew butter, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, and water in food processor or blender. Process/blend until smooth. Be sure to process long enough to puree the ginger and garlic. The dressing should be pourable, about the same thickness as cream. Adjust consistency – thinner or thicker -- to your liking by adding more water or cashew butter. Taste and add your favorite hot sauce if desired. (If the cashew butter was unsalted, you may want to add salt or more soy sauce to taste.) Makes about 1 ½ cups (360 ml) dressing. Store any leftover dressing in the refrigerator.
Prepare noodles according to package instructions in salted water. Rinse and drain noodles. Toss noodles with about 1 cup or more of cashew dressing, until coated, but not too saucy. Portion the noodles into 10 to 12 equal portions. Set aside, covered.
Prepare shrimp: Heat oil in large non-stick pan over medium heat. Add shrimp to the pan and sauté for about 3 to 4 minutes or until opaque throughout. Alternatively, cook shrimp in boiling water for about 2 to 3 minutes or until done (leave shell on if boiling). Slice each shrimp in half horizontally when cool (refer to video on how to roll spring rolls, linked above, to see how to do this)
Assemble spring rolls. Soak rice paper in warm water according to package directions, until soft. Layer in order, one leaf Bibb, Butter or Boston lettuce, 2 basil leaves, 1 split green onion, portion of dressed noodles, 2 red bell pepper strips and 2 cucumber strips. Top with a few chives so they stick out the ends. Place the halved shrimp, sliced side up, at the end of the roll. Squeeze a little lime juice on top of vegetables and herbs and sprinkle with cashews (if desired). Roll so shrimp are facing up on top of roll. Again, see video linked above recipe to see how to do this; as it's confusing in text! Repeat all of the above with the rest of the spring roll wrappers and fillings.
Serve with extra cashew dressing to dip.
Recipe by parsley sage sweet at https://parsleysagesweet.com/2010/07/16/peanut-is-not-the-only-butter/