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Consider this: the most delicious egg dishes don’t ever hit the oven. Through culinary experiments, I found that simply adding a lid produces a humid atmosphere to cook the top of the eggs, delivering a gently cooked perfectly poached egg with a tender white and flowing center. The intense, dry heat of the oven proves harsher than steam, typically causing to dry everything out resulting in firm yolks. Presenting two flavorful bases as a jumping-off point, though feel free to experiment. Option one involves a straightforward coconut turmeric blend, while the merguez ragu puts a twist on eggs in purgatory, or, to the likes of you and me, eggs cooked in zesty tomato base.

Golden Coconut Sauce Steamed Eggs (featured)

Preparation 10 minutes
Cooking time 55 minutes
Serves Two people

Extra virgin oil
One medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
Fine sea salt
2 garlic cloves, minced garlic
10g fresh ginger, minced ginger
1 tbsp ground turmeric
½ tbsp cumin seeds
Aromatic leaves
Creamy coconut
400g tin chickpeas
A few basil leaves, with more for garnish
4 eggs
Fresh chilies, thinly cut, for serving

Use a heavy skillet over medium-high flame. Pour in some oil, incorporate onions and a pinch of salt, fry until softened. Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin seeds and curry leaves, allow to cook, occasionally stirring for three to four minutes, pour in creamy liquid including chickpea can contents. Heat until boiling, then turn down to a simmer, and leave it to tick over for half an hour, when sauce is rich and yellow. Season with salt, then stir in the basil leaves.

Employ a utensil making four indentations in the sauce, add eggs individually. Dust each egg with a little salt, then cover the pan with a lid, simmer over low heat for a few minutes, when whites are cooked and yolks warmed. Remove from heat, finish with a few extra basil leaves and sliced chilies, then serve immediately.

Spicy Sausage Sauce and Pickled Peppers Baked Eggs

Prep 10 min
Cook 45 min
Yields Two portions

Oil
Merguez sausages
1 tbsp harissa
Toasted cumin
2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
Tomato base
Seasoning
Four eggs
1 handful pickled peppers, roughly chopped
Fresh parsley, diced
Greek yogurt
Fresh lemon, cut into wedges, as garnish

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot at moderate temperature. Add two tablespoons of olive oil and, once it’s warm, take off sausage casings and break off pieces of the meat into the pan, like mini balls. Reduce heat, then slowly brown the sausagemeat, so it renders out all that spicy, flavour-packed fat. Stir merguez during cooking, to brown evenly.

After browning, add the harissa, cumin seeds and sliced garlic into the skillet, adjust to moderate flame and cook, stirring, briefly, until aromatic, and the garlic has lost its raw edge. Tip in the tomatoes, salt to taste heat to simmer. Lower to gentle simmer and simmer slowly for 20 minutes. Ragu thickens, intensify in color, while the oils split and rise to the top.

With a spoon forming wells within sauce, then crack an egg into each. Season eggs lightly salted, cover skillet. Heat for minutes gently, when eggs set with yolks runny.

Turn off stove, finish with chopped pickled peppers, herbs, yogurt dollop, and a drizzle of oil, and serve with lemon wedges.