Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente.
Heat a pan with olive oil, garlic, shallot and red crushed pepper, and stir on medium heat. Cook until softened, stirring occasionally — about 3 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until paste is red and starts to caramelize — this may take about 4-6 minutes.
Now add the coconut milk or cream, basil leaves and using a wooden spoon or whisk, stir to incorporate everything. Cook for 1-2 minutes - stirring constantly. Now add 1 large grated garlic clove into the sauce. Doing this will help mask any leftover coconut flavor. Season with salt and pepper and taste and add additional seasoning to your liking.
Remove from the heat and this is optional, but I like to blend the sauce in the blender until smooth and lump-free.
If you blended the sauce, add it back into the pot and on low heat, add the al dente pasta and mix everything really well. Cook the pasta in the sauce over low-medium heat for another 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the pasta is glossy. If the sauce needs additional liquid, add a little bit of reserved pasta water.
Taste and add additional seasoning to your liking. Top with freshly grated parmesan (optional), red crushed pepper and chopped fresh basil.
