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Let me explain: the most delicious egg dishes never require an oven. Through culinary experiments, discovering that covering the pan creates a steamy environment to cook the top of the eggs, yielding tender delicately prepared egg featuring set whites and flowing center. The harsh, arid temperature from baking proves harsher versus moist heat, often leading to dehydrate ingredients and harden the yolk. Presenting two flavorful bases to get started, but get creative. The first features an easy coconut turmeric blend, whereas the spicy sausage sauce puts a twist on traditional spicy eggs, or simply put, spicy tomato eggs.

Golden Coconut Sauce Steamed Eggs (pictured above)

Preparation 10 min
Cook 55 minutes
Yields 2

Extra virgin oil
1 onion, skinned and diced
Sea salt
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
10g fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
Turmeric powder
½ tbsp cumin seeds
6-8 curry leaves
Coconut milk
400g tin chickpeas
A few basil leaves, and additional for topping
Four eggs
Fresh chilies, thinly cut, as garnish

Heat a cast-iron pan on a medium-high heat. Add a shot of olive oil, add the chopped onion and a pinch of salt, sauté for several minutes. Mix in garlic, ginger, and spices, allow to cook, stirring occasionally 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 about 35 minutes, until thickened and deep yellow in colour. Season with salt, mix in fresh basil.

Use the back of a spoon forming small wells across the base, then crack an egg into each. Sprinkle the top of each egg lightly salted, place a lid on the pan, gently heat for a few minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks just warm. Remove from heat, garnish with more basil plus chili slices, ready to enjoy.

Spicy Sausage Sauce with Tangy Peppers Baked Eggs

Preparation Quick prep
Cook 45 min
Serves Two

Olive oil
Merguez sausages
Spicy paste
Cumin seeds
2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
400g good-quality tinned tomatoes
Salt
Fresh eggs
Pickled peppers, diced
Fresh parsley, diced
Creamy yogurt
1 lemon, wedge-cut, to serve

Use a heavy pan on a medium heat. Pour in oil when heated, take off sausage casings forming small bits of the meat into the pan, like mini balls. Reduce heat, then slowly brown the sausagemeat, extracting spicy fats. Stir merguez as they cook, to brown evenly.

After browning, incorporate harissa, cumin, and garlic to the pan, turn up the heat to medium sauté while stirring, briefly, until aromatic, with garlic cooked. Tip in the tomatoes, salt to taste let it bubble. Lower to gentle simmer cooking gently for 20 minutes. Ragu thickens, intensify in color, as oils separate.

Use the back of a spoon to create four little pockets across base, then crack an egg into each. Season eggs lightly salted, cover skillet. Simmer briefly gently, until whites firm and yolks warmed.

Turn off stove, finish with chopped pickled peppers, parsley, a blob of yoghurt, and a drizzle of oil, accompanied by lemon.