A London-based chef has shared his top trick for creating aromatic garlic, perfect for a variety of dishes, including pasta. While the usual approach is to fry garlic, Nima Safaei says cold-infusing it instead is the superior method for creating the best flavour.
This cooking technique is where you extract flavours from an ingredient without applying high heat. Instead of frying or roasting, the ingredient is added to a cool or gently warmed medium (like oil, water, or alcohol) and allowed to release its flavours slowly over time.
The chef and owner of Soho’s 40 Dean Street, an Italian restaurant and bar, explained: “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.”
Preparing the bulb vegetable this way, Nima says, helps prevent the bitter flavour that can develop when garlic is cooked for too long.
“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 restaurant as “a truly authentic Italian”, which offers a range of dishes such as pasta, risotto, pizza, and grill favourites.
Trained under Salvatore Ferrara, a chef nutritionist who has worked with Marco Pierre White and Aldo Zilli, he is no stranger to professional kitchens or clever recipe techniques.
Controversially, he also has a unique trick for making ragú more flavourful. While soy sauce is typically associated with rice and noodle dishes, he said adding it to ragú “gives it a deep rich umami taste you can’t easily replicate with any other ingredient”.
He shared: “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, when sharing his affordable and simple recipe for spaghetti aglio e olio, he said it proves that “expensive ingredients” are not always needed for delicious meals.
Speaking to Sky News, he said the dish requires; 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.
Breaking down the simple cooking method, it begins with adding the spaghetti in salted water until al dente, then heating the olive oil in a pan and adding the garlic, cooking it until golden but not overdone.
Once this step is complete, he suggests adding chilli flakes for extra flavour and tossing the drained pasta with a splash of its water to create a “silky sauce”.
For the final touch, he recommends adding parsley and parmesan on top. While pasta dishes don’t require costly ingredients, Nima said investing in a quality extra virgin olive oil is essential. “[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