For green curry, green chilies are used. For red curry, red chilies are added. For yellow curry, curry powder (which contains a high amount of turmeric) is used. Using the paste in a curry. To make a curry paste, the aforementioned ingredients are mixed together using a mortar and pestle. A few tablespoons of the paste are then heated over a wok, which releases the fragrant oils from the chilies, garlic and onion in the paste.