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Consider this: the most delicious egg dishes are made without baking. When testing these recipes, discovering that covering the pan creates a steamy environment to cook the top of the eggs, yielding tender perfectly poached egg with a tender white and a warm, runny yolk. The harsh, arid temperature of the oven is much more aggressive versus moist heat, typically causing to dry everything out and overcook the yolk. I’ve given you two sauces as inspiration, encouraging customization. The first features an easy turmeric coconut curry, while the merguez ragu is a riff on eggs in purgatory, essentially, eggs cooked in zesty tomato base.

Golden Coconut Sauce Steamed Eggs (featured)

Prep A quick 10 minutes
Cooking time Just under an hour
Serves Two servings

Extra virgin oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
Fine sea salt
Two garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
10g fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp ground turmeric
Toasted cumin
Curry leaves
200ml coconut milk
400g tin chickpeas
Basil leaves, plus extra to serve
Fresh eggs
Green chilies, finely sliced, for serving

Use a heavy skillet on a medium-high heat. Add a shot of olive oil, incorporate onions with some salt, fry until softened. Mix in garlic, ginger, and spices, leave to sizzle, stirring occasionally for a few minutes, add coconut milk and the chickpeas and their tin liquid. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer, allow to cook slowly about 35 minutes, until thick and golden. Adjust seasoning, then stir in the basil leaves.

Use the back of a spoon forming small wells in the sauce, add eggs individually. Season eggs with a little salt, place a lid on the pan, and cook on a low heat for a few minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks just warm. Remove from heat, finish with a few extra basil leaves and sliced chilies, ready to enjoy.

Merguez Ragu with Tangy Peppers Steamed Eggs

Preparation Quick prep
Cooking time 45 min
Serves 2

Olive oil
Merguez sausages
1 tbsp harissa
Toasted cumin
Garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
Canned tomatoes
Fine sea salt
Four eggs
Pickled peppers, roughly chopped
Fresh parsley, minced
Greek yogurt
Fresh lemon, sliced into wedges, to serve

Heat a skillet on a medium heat. Drizzle olive oil once hot, take off sausage casings and pinch small amounts into the skillet, like mini balls. Reduce heat, cook until golden, releasing flavorful oils. Roll the merguez pieces around the pan during cooking, to brown evenly.

Once browned, incorporate harissa, cumin, and garlic to the pot, adjust to moderate flame sauté while stirring, for several minutes, until aromatic, with garlic cooked. Add tomatoes, add seasoning heat to simmer. Reduce to low heat cooking gently for 20 minutes. Sauce will thicken, intensify in color, while the oils split and rise to the top.

Use the back of a spoon to create four little pockets within sauce, add eggs individually. Sprinkle the top of each egg lightly salted, place lid on pan. Cook for two to three minutes on low flame, until the whites are set and the yolks just warm.

Turn off stove, garnish with peppers, parsley and yogurt, and oil splash, and serve with lemon wedges.