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Consider this: the best baked eggs never require an oven. During recipe development, realizing that using a cover generates steam for cooking the egg tops, resulting in perfectly cooked delicately prepared egg with a tender white and a warm, runny yolk. Direct oven heat of the oven is much more aggressive versus moist heat, often leading to dehydrate ingredients and overcook the yolk. Presenting two flavorful bases as inspiration, though feel free to experiment. One is a super-simple golden coconut sauce, and the second offers a merguez ragu is a riff on eggs in purgatory, or, to the likes of you and me, spicy tomato eggs.

Turmeric Coconut Curry Steamed Eggs (featured)

Preparation A quick 10 minutes
Cooking time Just under an hour
Serves Two people

Olive oil
One medium onion, skinned and diced
Sea salt
Two garlic cloves, minced garlic
10g fresh ginger, minced ginger
Golden spice
Cumin seeds
Curry leaves
Creamy coconut
Canned chickpeas
A few basil leaves, and additional for topping
Four eggs
Green chilies, finely sliced, for serving

Use a heavy skillet at moderate-high temperature. Add a shot of olive oil, incorporate onions and a pinch of salt, and cook for five to six minutes. Incorporate aromatics and spices, let them sizzle, mixing now and then for three to four minutes, pour in creamy liquid along with chickpeas and liquid. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer, let it simmer for 30-35 minutes, when sauce is rich and yellow. Adjust seasoning, then stir in the basil leaves.

Employ a utensil making four indentations within the sauce, add eggs individually. Sprinkle the top of 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 the yolks just warm. Take off the heat, garnish with more basil and thinly sliced finger chillies, and serve.

Merguez Ragu with Tangy Peppers Steamed Eggs

Prep 10 min
Cook Under an hour
Serves Two

Oil
Merguez sausages
1 tbsp harissa
Cumin seeds
2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
Tomato base
Fine sea salt
Fresh eggs
Pickled peppers, roughly chopped
Fresh parsley, finely chopped
Creamy yogurt
Fresh lemon, cut into wedges, as garnish

Heat a skillet on a medium heat. Drizzle olive oil when heated, remove the skins from the sausages and pinch small amounts adding to pan, almost like little meatballs. Reduce heat, cook until golden, extracting spicy fats. Roll the merguez pieces around the pan while cooking, so they colour on all sides.

After browning, add the harissa, cumin seeds and sliced garlic into the skillet, increase to medium heat and cook, stirring, for several minutes, when fragrant, and the garlic has lost its raw edge. Tip in the tomatoes, season with salt heat to simmer. Reduce to low heat and leave to blip away for twenty minutes. The ragu will reduce, thicken and deepen in colour, with oils separating and surfacing.

With a spoon making indentations within sauce, then crack an egg into each. Sprinkle the top of each egg with salt, cover skillet. Simmer briefly over a low heat, until whites firm and yolks warmed.

Take off the heat, garnish with peppers, parsley and yogurt, plus oil drizzle, with lemon on side.