Thai Curry Pastes Explained: Red vs Green

Thai curry pastes explained – Red, green, panang, what’s the difference? Thai food has steadily increased market share in the UK, with The Guardian reporting a 25% rise in Thai takeaway orders in 2025. 

Characterised by fresh, fiery and fragrant ingredients, the perfect Thai curry balances five essential flavour components: salty, sweet, spicy, sour, and creamy. 

Red or green, chefs start all Thai curries with a paste gently tempered in oil to release their flavour and aroma. 

Thai Green Curry Paste

Thai Green Curry, or Kaeng khiao wan, is undoubtedly the most popular and recognisable Thai curry, not just in the UK but in Thailand as well. The green paste is prepared with fresh aromatic ingredients like green chillies, shallots, garlic, galangal, lemongrass, and coriander which results in a bright and vibrant curry. 

Chefs pair green curry pastes with lighter proteins, often chicken or seafood, and fresh vegetables like sugar snap peas and green peppers, which are added toward the end of cooking to retain a crisp texture. 

Thai Red Curry Paste

The main difference between green and red curry paste is the use of fresh vs dried chillies. Red curry paste gets its heat and colour from dried red chillies ground into a powder while green curry uses fresh green chillies. The other components of a red curry paste, such as garlic, shallots and galangal, are similar to a green paste. 

Dried red chillies add a hot earthy tone to the curry compared to fresh green chillies, so Thai red curries tend to be slightly hotter and less sweet than a green curry. 

Massaman Curry Paste

Massaman Curry is notably different from green and red curries. Heavily influenced by Persia and the Indian subcontinent, this curry paste incorporates more dried spices such as coriander seed, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove, in addition to more traditional Thai ingredients like tamarind and lemongrass. Massaman curries are generally quite mild, traditionally paired with beef and potatoes as the base of the dish. 

Panang Curry Paste

Panang is a type of Thai red curry with similar paste ingredients including garlic, shallots, dried red chilli, coriander seed, and cumin. While very similar to a Thai red curry, Panang is a slightly drier thicker curry that’s milder than a red one. Some variations include peanuts that give it a sweeter nuttier flavour.

Thai Curry Base Sauces

Preparing fresh curry pastes and cooking Thai curries from scratch can be a rewarding endeavour but it requires time, labour, and over 30 unique ingredients. Outsourcing Thai base sauces reduces on-site prep, but affords chefs the flexibility to customise the final product through proteins, vegetables and heat levels.