EXCLUSIVE: A top chef said the straightforward cooking method unlocks the ideal ‘aroma and sweetness’ in garlic for rich, flavoursome pasta meals
Samantha Masters Content Editor
12:28, 27 Nov 2025Updated 12:34, 27 Nov 2025
Nima also shared his affordable and simple recipe for spaghetti aglio e olio(Image: Getty)
A London-based chef has revealed his clever technique for producing fragrant garlic, that works brilliantly across numerous dishes, particularly pasta. While most people typically fry garlic, Nima Safaei argues that cold-infusing represents a far better approach for achieving optimal taste.
This culinary method involves extracting flavours from ingredients without using intense heat. Rather than frying or roasting, the component gets added to a cool or mildly heated medium (such as oil, water, or alcohol) and left to slowly release its flavours gradually.
Nima, who runs 40 Dean Street in Soho, an Italian eatery and bar, said: “One trick I swear by is cold-infusing garlic into olive oil rather than frying it. I gently warm the oil, turn off the heat, add sliced garlic, and let it sit,” reports the Express.
A chef shared his top tip of making garlic more flavoursome (Image: Getty)
According to the chef, preparing the garlic this way prevents the bitter taste that can emerge when its overcooked.
“You get all the aroma and sweetness of garlic without the bitterness that comes from overcooking,” he shared.
“That garlic-infused oil becomes the perfect base for pasta, seafood, or even a simple bruschetta.”
Nima describes his popular establishment as “a truly authentic Italian”, serving various dishes including pasta, risotto, pizza, and grilled specialities.
Having trained under Salvatore Ferrara, a chef nutritionist, who previously worked alongside Marco Pierre White and Aldo Zilli, he knows all too well about professional kitchens and innovative cooking methods.
Offering another tip to boost the flavour of ragú, Nima says soy sauce isn’t just for rice or noodle dishes.
The chef says his method prevents a bitter flavour (Image: Getty)
Instead he believes adding this into ragú “gives it a deep rich umami taste you can’t easily replicate with any other ingredient”.
He confessed: “Yes, the entire population of Italy may hate me for it, but there’s something about the sweet yet tangy profile soy sauce adds that can turn any ragú from fine to outstanding.”
Previously revealing his budget-friendly and straightforward recipe for spaghetti aglio e olio, he asserted that “expensive ingredients” are not always necessary for tasty meals.
Speaking to Sky News, he listed the ingredients needed for the dish; 200g of spaghetti, three thinly sliced garlic cloves, a teaspoon of chilli flakes, four tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, chopped fresh parsley, salt and parmesan, which is optional but recommended.
Chef Nima Safaei shared his top tips
Explaining the easy cooking process, it starts with boiling the spaghetti in salted water until al dente, then heating the olive oil in a pan and adding the garlic, frying it until golden but not overcooked.
Once this step is done, he suggests adding chilli flakes for an extra kick and tossing the drained pasta with a bit of its water to create a “silky sauce”.
For the finishing flourish, he suggests sprinkling parsley and parmesan over the top. Furthermore, while Nima says pasta creations don’t always need to have expensive ingredients, he emphasised that purchasing a good extra virgin olive oil is crucial.
“[It] transforms the simplest ingredients. Drizzle it over tomatoes, dunk bread in it or finish a dish with it – you’ll taste the difference instantly,” he concluded.
Dining and Cooking