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Consider this: the most delicious egg dishes never require an oven. Through culinary experiments, discovering that covering the pan produces a humid atmosphere for cooking the egg tops, yielding tender delicately prepared egg with a tender white plus liquid yolk. The harsh, arid temperature from baking acts stronger versus moist heat, and has a tendency to dry everything out and harden the yolk. Here are two sauce options as inspiration, encouraging customization. Option one involves a straightforward coconut turmeric blend, and the second offers a merguez ragu reimagines classic tomato-baked eggs, or, to the likes of you and me, eggs cooked in zesty tomato base.

Turmeric Coconut Curry Steamed Eggs (pictured above)

Prep A quick 10 minutes
Cook 55 min
Yields 2

Extra virgin oil
One medium onion, skinned and diced
Salt
2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
Fresh ginger root, minced ginger
Turmeric powder
Toasted cumin
6-8 curry leaves
Creamy coconut
Canned chickpeas
Fresh basil, plus extra to serve
Fresh eggs
2 green finger chillies, finely sliced, to serve

Use a heavy skillet over medium-high flame. Drizzle olive oil, add the chopped onion seasoned with salt, fry until softened. Mix in garlic, ginger, and spices, let them sizzle, stirring occasionally briefly, then tip in the coconut milk along with chickpeas and liquid. Let it bubble, lower heat to gentle cook, allow to cook slowly about 35 minutes, until thickened and deep yellow in colour. Add salt to taste, incorporate basil.

Employ a utensil forming small wells across the base, add eggs individually. Dust each egg with salt, place a lid on the pan, simmer over low heat briefly, until the whites are set and yolks warmed. Remove from heat, finish with a few extra basil leaves and thinly sliced finger chillies, and serve.

Spicy Sausage Sauce and Pickled Peppers Baked Eggs

Preparation 10 min
Cooking time 45 min
Serves Two

Olive oil
2 merguez-style lamb sausages
Harissa paste
Cumin seeds
2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
Tomato base
Seasoning
Four eggs
Tangy peppers, coarsely cut
Chopped herbs, minced
3 tbsp thick Greek yoghurt
Fresh lemon, wedge-cut, as garnish

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot over medium flame. Drizzle olive oil and, once it’s warm, remove the skins from the sausages and break off pieces into the skillet, resembling tiny meatballs. Turn down the heat, cook until golden, extracting spicy fats. Move sausage pieces as they cook, for even browning.

Once browned, mix in spices and garlic to the pot, increase to medium heat fry with mixing, for several minutes, until aromatic, and garlic softens. Add tomatoes, add seasoning heat to simmer. Turn down the heat to low cooking gently for twenty minutes. The ragu will reduce, become richer and darker, as oils separate.

Employ utensil forming wells across base, then crack an egg into each. Season eggs with salt, place lid on pan. Simmer briefly on low flame, until whites firm and yolks warmed.

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