Steps

1. Prepare the onion.
   🕒 00:17
2. Make a cut into 1/4 onion and slice thinly. [Key Tip!] Slice thinly to bring out sweetness rather than texture.
   🕒 00:20
3. Prepare the garlic.
   🕒 00:38
4. Cut 2 cloves of garlic in half lengthwise and remove the sprouts. [Key Tip!] Remove sprouts as they can burn easily and cause bitterness.
   🕒 00:43
5. Slice the garlic thinly crosswise.
   🕒 00:55
6. Cut the thinly sliced garlic into fine matchsticks.
   🕒 01:05
7. Arrange the matchstick-cut garlic side by side and finely chop from one end to mince.
   🕒 01:22
8. Prepare the canned whole tomatoes.
   🕒 01:39
9. Lightly crush 1 can of whole tomatoes with your hands.
   🕒 01:42
10. Place the minced garlic in a cold frying pan.
    🕒 02:30
11. Add approx. 2 tbsp of olive oil and heat over low heat.
    🕒 02:39
12. Stir to coat the garlic evenly with oil. [Key Tip!] Evenly heat to prevent burning if clumps form.
    🕒 02:49
13. Sauté until the garlic is fragrant. [Key Tip!] Sautéing until colored can lead to burning; fragrance is sufficient.
    🕒 03:01
14. Add the sliced onion and sauté until softened.
    🕒 03:08
15. Add the crushed whole tomatoes.
    🕒 03:23
16. Mix well to combine everything.
    🕒 03:28
17. Switch heat to medium.
    🕒 03:38
18. Add 2 tsp of sugar.
    🕒 03:44
19. Add 3 pinches of salt.
    🕒 03:51
20. Simmer until the tomato sauce reduces to about 2/3 of its original volume to concentrate the flavor. [Key Tip!] Excess water dilutes the flavor, so reduce well to bring out umami. Sugar enhances umami without masking acidity.
    🕒 03:59
21. Bring water to a boil in a pot, add salt to make it slightly saltier than you'd prefer for soup, and start cooking the pasta. [Key Tip!] Proper salting seasons the pasta and prevents the sauce from tasting bland.
    🕒 04:40
22. Bring to a boil over high heat without stirring the pasta.
    🕒 04:55
23. About 30 seconds before the pasta is done, warm the tomato sauce over low to medium heat. [Key Tip!] Adding pasta to cold sauce can make it mushy; warm the sauce first.
    🕒 04:59
24. Add 10g of Parmesan cheese to the warmed sauce. [Key Tip!] This adds richness, not a cheesy flavor.
    🕒 05:12
25. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and simmer for about 30 seconds, stirring, to allow the pasta to absorb the sauce.
    🕒 05:20
26. Stir with a spatula in a circular motion to coat the pasta thoroughly with the sauce.
    🕒 05:29
27. After simmering for about 30 seconds, add approx. 1.5 tbsp of olive oil for the finishing touch and stir again to emulsify the sauce and oil.
    🕒 05:36
28. Plate and serve your basic tomato pasta. Enjoy!
    🕒 05:56