I’m such a fan of this soup, I’ve made it about once a week since the boyfriend introduced me to it. When I feed it to other non-Thai people, the first reaction I get is, “Is this Thai? It’s not spicy!” And it’s true, this soup is not at all spicy. In fact, it’s name in Thai (gang jeud/แกงจืด) literally translates to “bland soup”. But not being spicy makes it the perfect accompaniment to Thai meals which are generally composed of several spicy dishes eaten with rice.
Having a more American palate, I also like the soup by itself or with a big scoop of rice in it. And although it comes from halfway across the world, this soup is as soothing to me as the chicken noodle soup that I grew up with.