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Let me explain: the best baked eggs never require an oven. During recipe development, discovering that covering the pan generates steam for cooking the egg tops, delivering a gently cooked delicately prepared egg with firm whites plus liquid yolk. The harsh, arid temperature from baking proves harsher compared to steaming, typically causing to dry everything out and overcook the yolk. Here are two sauce options as inspiration, encouraging customization. The first features an easy turmeric coconut curry, whereas the spicy sausage sauce is a riff on eggs in purgatory, essentially, spicy tomato eggs.

Golden Coconut Sauce Steamed Eggs (featured)

Preparation 10 min
Cooking time 55 min
Yields 2

Olive oil
1 onion, skinned and diced
Salt
2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
Fresh ginger root, grated ginger
1 tbsp ground turmeric
Toasted cumin
6-8 curry leaves
200ml coconut milk
400g tin chickpeas
A few basil leaves, with more for garnish
4 eggs
2 green finger chillies, julienned, to serve

Heat a cast-iron pan over medium-high flame. Drizzle olive oil, add the chopped onion and a pinch of salt, sauté for several minutes. Incorporate aromatics and spices, let them sizzle, stirring occasionally for a few minutes, then tip in the coconut milk and the chickpeas and their tin liquid. Let it bubble, lower heat to gentle cook, let it simmer for 30-35 minutes, when sauce is rich and yellow. Season with salt, mix in fresh basil.

Use the back of a spoon forming small wells in the sauce, break eggs into each. Sprinkle the top of each egg lightly salted, then cover the pan with a lid, simmer over low heat for a few minutes, until the whites are set and yolks warmed. Turn off stove, finish with a few extra basil leaves and thinly sliced finger chillies, and serve.

Merguez Ragu with Tangy Peppers Steamed Eggs

Preparation 10 min
Cooking time 45 min
Serves Two

Oil
2 merguez-style lamb sausages
1 tbsp harissa
Toasted cumin
2 garlic cloves, minced garlic
400g good-quality tinned tomatoes
Salt
Four eggs
Pickled peppers, diced
Fresh parsley, finely chopped
Greek yogurt
Fresh lemon, cut into wedges, to serve

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot at moderate temperature. Add two tablespoons of olive oil once hot, take off sausage casings forming small bits of the meat into the pan, almost like little meatballs. Turn down the heat, brown the meat slowly, so it renders out all that spicy, flavour-packed fat. Stir merguez during cooking, to brown evenly.

After browning, mix in spices and garlic to the pan, increase to medium heat sauté while stirring, briefly, until the mix smells fragrant, with garlic cooked. Tip in the tomatoes, salt to taste let it bubble. Lower to gentle simmer and simmer slowly about 20 minutes. The ragu will reduce, intensify in color, while the oils split and rise to the top.

Use the back of a spoon forming wells in the sauce, add eggs individually. Sprinkle the top of each egg with salt, cover skillet. Cook for two to three minutes on low flame, until the whites are set and yolks warmed.

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