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Consider this: the most delicious egg dishes don’t ever hit the oven. When testing these recipes, discovering that covering the pan creates a steamy environment to cook the top of the eggs, delivering a gently cooked perfectly poached egg featuring set whites and a warm, runny yolk. The intense, dry heat from baking proves harsher versus moist heat, often leading to dry everything out resulting in firm yolks. Presenting two flavorful bases to get started, encouraging customization. One is a super-simple turmeric coconut curry, while the merguez ragu puts a twist on traditional spicy eggs, or, to the likes of you and me, spicy tomato eggs.

Golden Coconut Sauce Steamed Eggs (pictured above)

Prep A quick 10 minutes
Cooking time 55 min
Yields 2

Olive oil
1 onion, trimmed and minced
Fine sea salt
Two garlic cloves, minced garlic
10g fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
Turmeric powder
½ tbsp cumin seeds
Aromatic leaves
200ml coconut milk
Canned chickpeas
A few basil leaves, with more for garnish
Fresh eggs
Fresh chilies, thinly cut, as garnish

Heat a cast-iron pan at moderate-high temperature. Add a shot of olive oil, add the chopped onion seasoned with salt, fry until softened. Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin seeds and curry leaves, allow to cook, stirring occasionally for a few minutes, add coconut milk and the chickpeas and their tin liquid. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, allow to cook slowly about 35 minutes, when sauce is rich and yellow. Adjust seasoning, incorporate basil.

With a spoon’s back to create four little pockets within the sauce, then crack an egg into each. Sprinkle the top of each egg lightly salted, cover the skillet, gently heat for a few minutes, until egg whites firm and yolks warmed. Remove from heat, garnish with more basil and thinly sliced finger chillies, ready to enjoy.

Spicy Sausage Sauce with Tangy Peppers Steamed Eggs

Prep 10 min
Cooking time 45 min
Yields Two

Oil
Merguez sausages
Harissa paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
Canned tomatoes
Salt
Fresh eggs
1 handful pickled peppers, diced
Fresh parsley, diced
3 tbsp thick Greek yoghurt
Fresh lemon, cut into wedges, as garnish

Use a heavy pan over medium flame. Drizzle olive oil when heated, take off sausage casings forming small bits of the meat into the pan, like mini balls. Turn down the heat, cook until golden, extracting spicy fats. Roll the merguez pieces around the pan during cooking, to brown evenly.

When golden, add the harissa, cumin seeds and sliced garlic into the skillet, adjust to moderate flame fry with mixing, for several minutes, when fragrant, and garlic softens. Pour in tomato contents, add seasoning let it bubble. Turn down the heat to low and simmer slowly about 20 minutes. The ragu will reduce, intensify in color, as oils separate.

With a spoon to create four little pockets in the sauce, break eggs in. Dust with salt with salt, then cover the pan with a lid. Heat for minutes on low flame, until whites firm with yolks runny.

Take off the heat, finish with chopped pickled peppers, herbs, yogurt dollop, and oil splash, accompanied by lemon.