This recipe would be vegan if the fish sauce and bouillon cubes are eliminated and vegetable bouillon and extra soy used in their place. I am sure it would taste even better with the addition of a good stewing chicken, but it was created from the materials on hand one weekend. The lentils are long cooked until they disintegrate to form a meaty looking and tasting stock, an effect that is enhanced by the tomato.
Bring the water to a boil in a soup pot and add lentils; simmer covered half hr or more. Add the lima beans and cook another half hour. Add the rice and cook another 20 min. Add the chopped green portions of a large or 2 medium well washed leek[s] [They are sandy and there is always sand trapped in the outer leaves] and simmer 10 min. Add the sliced white portion of the leek and the remaining ingredients. Simmer 15 min and serve.