THAI FOOD 101: Let's talk about curry pastes! Nam prika, aka curry pastes, are the base for many dishes and there are 2 main curry pastes: red curry paste and green curry paste. The main difference between them is the type of chili used. Red curry paste is made with dried and roasted red chilies while green curry paste is made with fresh green thai chilies. This difference gives each curry paste it's own flavors. Red curry paste is more smokey, milder, has deeper flavor, and an oily texture. Gre