Steps

1. Finely chop half an onion. [The Key Technique!] Slice thinly against the grain, then turn and slice again to chop finely for easier mincing.
   🕒 02:33
2. Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat, then reduce to low heat and sauté the minced onion until translucent. [The Key Technique!] Be careful not to burn it, and sauté until translucent without bringing out too much of the onion's aroma.
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3. Once the onion is translucent and lightly cooked, add 1 can of whole tomatoes.
   🕒 06:05
4. Rinse the inside of the can with your fingers and crush the whole tomatoes by hand while they are still cold. Remove only the tough core. [The Key Technique!] Avoid crushing them too much, as this can diminish the tomato's fresh flavor. Crush them by hand to retain freshness.
   🕒 06:20
5. Simmer the hand-crushed whole tomatoes for about 10 minutes, reducing them down to a consistency that resembles a dried flavor.
   🕒 08:10
6. Thinly slice 3 cloves of garlic, lay them flat, and then mince finely. Gather the minced garlic together. [The Key Technique!] The moisture released from crushed surfaces can cause burning, so cut cleanly with a sharp knife just before using.
   🕒 09:18
7. Add salt to the water for boiling pasta to achieve a salt concentration of about 1.5% to 2%. [The Key Technique!] It should be slightly salty, but not so salty that you can't taste any salt at all.
   🕒 12:30
8. Add a generous amount of olive oil to a cold frying pan, then add the minced 3 cloves of garlic and the chili pepper (to taste).
   🕒 12:54
9. Gently heat the garlic and chili pepper over low heat. Occasionally shake the pan to ensure even heating. [The Key Technique!] Aim for a color slightly darker than pale golden brown for the garlic, avoiding bitterness or rawness. Sauté without burning, allowing the aroma to infuse into the oil.
   🕒 13:38
10. Once the garlic has achieved a nice color, add the prepared 70g of tomato sauce.
    🕒 15:45
11. When the sauce changes from red to an orangey-vermilion, it's a sign that the garlic and chili aroma has infused into the sauce.
    🕒 16:28
12. Once the sauce color changes, reduce the heat to low and turn off the flame. This is preparation for tossing the pasta.
    🕒 16:35
13. Cook 70g of 1.5mm spaghetti for at least 30 seconds less than the package's recommended cooking time (aim for around 4 minutes 40 seconds). [The Key Technique!] Don't drain the pasta too much to retain the starch clinging to it. Boiling it al dente allows it to absorb the sauce better.
    🕒 13:08
14. 5 seconds before the pasta is done cooking, turn the heat under the frying pan containing the sauce (prepared in step 12) to high.
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15. Add the cooked pasta to the pan with minimal draining and toss vigorously with the sauce over high heat. [The Key Technique!] Aim for a state where the sauce is well coated on the pasta without it absorbing too much sauce.
    🕒 17:48