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Consider this: the best baked eggs are made without baking. When testing these recipes, discovering that covering the pan creates a steamy environment that gently cooks the eggs, delivering a gently cooked soft-cooked egg with a tender white and flowing center. Direct oven heat of the oven acts stronger versus moist heat, and has a tendency to dry everything out and overcook the yolk. Presenting two flavorful bases as a jumping-off point, encouraging customization. The first features an easy coconut turmeric blend, while the merguez ragu reimagines eggs in purgatory, essentially, spicy tomato eggs.

Turmeric Coconut Curry Steamed Eggs (pictured above)

Prep 10 min
Cook 55 minutes
Yields 2

Extra virgin oil
1 onion, skinned and diced
Sea salt
Two garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
10g fresh ginger, minced ginger
1 tbsp ground turmeric
Cumin seeds
6-8 curry leaves
Coconut milk
Chickpeas
A few basil leaves, plus extra to serve
Four eggs
2 green finger chillies, thinly cut, for serving

Heat a cast-iron pan over medium-high flame. Pour in some oil, incorporate onions with some salt, and cook for five to six minutes. Mix in garlic, ginger, and spices, let them sizzle, stirring occasionally briefly, pour in creamy liquid and the chickpeas and their tin liquid. Heat until boiling, then turn down to a simmer, let it simmer for 30-35 minutes, until thickened and deep yellow in colour. Adjust seasoning, then stir in the basil leaves.

Use the back of a spoon forming small wells within the sauce, break eggs into each. Sprinkle the top of each egg with a little salt, then cover the pan with a lid, and cook on a low heat briefly, when whites are cooked with yolks still runny. Turn off stove, garnish with more basil and sliced chilies, and serve.

Spicy Sausage Sauce and Pickled Peppers Steamed Eggs

Prep 10 minutes
Cooking time Under an hour
Serves Two

Oil
2 merguez-style lamb sausages
Harissa paste
Cumin seeds
2 garlic cloves, minced garlic
Tomato base
Seasoning
Four eggs
Pickled peppers, diced
1 small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Creamy yogurt
1 lemon, wedge-cut, for serving

Heat a skillet over medium flame. Add two tablespoons of olive oil and, once it’s warm, peel sausages and break off pieces adding to pan, almost like little meatballs. Lower temperature, brown the meat slowly, so it renders out all that spicy, flavour-packed fat. Move sausage pieces during cooking, for even browning.

Once browned, add the harissa, cumin seeds and sliced garlic to the pan, turn up the heat to medium fry with mixing, for several minutes, when fragrant, with garlic cooked. Tip in the tomatoes, season with salt let it bubble. Reduce to low heat and leave to blip away for 20 minutes. Ragu thickens, become richer and darker, with oils separating and surfacing.

Employ utensil to create four little pockets within sauce, break eggs in. Season eggs with a little salt, place lid on pan. Cook for two to three minutes gently, until the whites are set and the yolks just warm.

Turn off stove, garnish with peppers, parsley and yogurt, and a drizzle of oil, and serve with lemon wedges.