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Consider this: the most delicious egg dishes never require an oven. Through culinary experiments, realizing that using a cover produces a humid atmosphere to cook the top of the eggs, delivering a gently cooked perfectly poached egg featuring set whites and flowing center. The intense, dry heat of the oven proves harsher versus moist heat, typically causing to dry everything out and harden the yolk. Presenting two flavorful bases as a jumping-off point, but get creative. Option one involves a straightforward turmeric coconut curry, and the second offers a merguez ragu reimagines classic tomato-baked eggs, essentially, eggs cooked in zesty tomato base.

Golden Coconut Sauce Steamed Eggs (featured)

Preparation 10 min
Cook 55 min
Serves Two servings

Olive oil
One medium onion, skinned and diced
Fine sea salt
2 garlic cloves, minced garlic
10g fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp ground turmeric
Cumin seeds
Aromatic leaves
Creamy coconut
Chickpeas
A few basil leaves, plus extra to serve
Fresh eggs
Green chilies, thinly cut, for serving

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot over medium-high flame. Add a shot of olive oil, toss in the onion and a pinch of salt, and cook for five to six minutes. Incorporate aromatics and spices, leave to sizzle, mixing now and then briefly, pour in creamy liquid including chickpea can contents. Let it bubble, lower heat to gentle cook, and leave it to tick over about 35 minutes, until thickened and deep yellow in colour. Adjust seasoning, incorporate basil.

Employ a utensil making four indentations within the sauce, then crack an egg into each. Sprinkle the top of each egg with salt, then cover the pan with a lid, simmer over low heat for a few minutes, until egg whites firm and the yolks just warm. Turn off stove, top with fresh herbs and sliced chilies, then serve immediately.

Merguez Ragu and Pickled Peppers Baked Eggs

Prep 10 min
Cook 45 min
Serves Two portions

Olive oil
Merguez sausages
Spicy paste
Cumin seeds
2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
400g good-quality tinned tomatoes
Salt
Fresh eggs
1 handful pickled peppers, diced
1 small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Greek yogurt
1 lemon, wedge-cut, to serve

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot on a medium heat. Pour in oil and, once it’s warm, peel sausages and break off pieces of the meat into the pan, resembling tiny meatballs. Reduce heat, brown the meat slowly, extracting spicy fats. Roll the merguez pieces around the pan while cooking, to brown evenly.

After browning, incorporate harissa, cumin, and garlic to the pan, increase to medium heat sauté while stirring, for three to four minutes, when fragrant, with garlic cooked. Pour in tomato contents, add seasoning heat to simmer. Reduce to low heat and leave to blip away about 20 minutes. Sauce will thicken, intensify in color, as oils separate.

With a spoon making indentations across base, then crack an egg into each. Season eggs with a little salt, then cover the pan with a lid. Heat for minutes over a low heat, when eggs set and yolks warmed.

Remove from heat, garnish with peppers, parsley, a blob of yoghurt, and a drizzle of oil, with lemon on side.