Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 Bird's eye chile
• 1 teaspoon red chiles
• 1 clove garlic peeled and minced, optional
• 6 ounces rice noodles thin, (170g)
• 1 large carrot peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 1/2 cucumber peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced
• 12 ounces cooked meat or tofu, (225g to 340g)
• 1 handful fresh mint cilantro, or Thai basil, or a combination
• 1/3 cup roasted peanuts coarsely chopped, (50g)
• 12 ounces cooked meat shrimp, or tofu (225g to 340g)
• 5 spring rolls fried, optional
• fried shallots optional: