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Consider this: the most delicious egg dishes don’t ever hit the oven. During recipe development, I found that simply adding a lid produces a humid atmosphere to cook the top of the eggs, resulting in perfectly cooked perfectly poached egg with firm whites plus liquid yolk. The harsh, arid temperature from baking acts stronger versus moist heat, and has a tendency to dry everything out and overcook the yolk. Presenting two flavorful bases to get started, but get creative. The first features an easy turmeric coconut curry, whereas the spicy sausage sauce is a riff on classic tomato-baked eggs, or, to the likes of you and me, spicy tomato eggs.

Turmeric Coconut Curry Steamed Eggs (shown above)

Preparation A quick 10 minutes
Cooking time 55 min
Serves Two servings

Olive oil
One medium onion, trimmed and minced
Salt
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
10g fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
Golden spice
Toasted cumin
Curry leaves
200ml coconut milk
400g tin chickpeas
A few basil leaves, with more for garnish
Fresh eggs
Green chilies, julienned, to serve

Use a heavy skillet on a medium-high heat. Add a shot of olive 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 a few minutes, then tip in the coconut milk and the chickpeas and their tin liquid. Bring to a boil, lower heat to gentle cook, and leave it to tick over for half an hour, when sauce is rich and yellow. Season with salt, mix in fresh basil.

Use the back of a spoon forming small wells across the base, add eggs individually. Season eggs with a little salt, place a lid on the pan, simmer over low heat for two to three minutes, until the whites are set with yolks still runny. Remove from heat, finish with a few extra basil leaves and sliced chilies, then serve immediately.

Spicy Sausage Sauce with Tangy Peppers Baked Eggs

Preparation 10 min
Cook 45 min
Serves Two

Oil
Merguez sausages
Harissa paste
Toasted cumin
Garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
Canned tomatoes
Fine sea salt
Fresh eggs
1 handful pickled peppers, roughly chopped
Fresh parsley, diced
Creamy yogurt
Fresh lemon, wedge-cut, for serving

Use a heavy pan over medium flame. Pour in oil when heated, peel sausages and break off pieces adding to pan, almost like little meatballs. Lower temperature, cook until golden, extracting spicy fats. Stir merguez during cooking, for even browning.

After browning, incorporate harissa, cumin, and garlic to the pot, increase to medium heat fry with mixing, briefly, when fragrant, with garlic cooked. Pour in tomato contents, season with salt and bring to a simmer. Reduce to low heat cooking gently for twenty minutes. Ragu thickens, thicken and deepen in colour, while the oils split and rise to the top.

Employ utensil forming wells within sauce, then crack an egg into each. Sprinkle the top of each egg with a little salt, then cover the pan with a lid. Cook for two to three minutes over a low heat, when eggs set with yolks runny.

Take off the heat, finish with chopped pickled peppers, parsley and yogurt, and a drizzle of oil, accompanied by lemon.