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Let me explain: the most delicious egg dishes are made without baking. During recipe development, discovering that covering the pan produces a humid atmosphere that gently cooks the eggs, resulting in perfectly cooked soft-cooked egg featuring set whites and flowing center. Direct oven heat of the oven acts stronger than steam, typically causing to dehydrate ingredients and harden the yolk. Presenting two flavorful bases as inspiration, though feel free to experiment. Option one involves a straightforward coconut turmeric blend, while the merguez ragu reimagines eggs in purgatory, essentially, eggs cooked in zesty tomato base.

Golden Coconut Sauce Steamed Eggs (featured)

Prep A quick 10 minutes
Cook 55 minutes
Yields 2

Olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
Salt
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
Fresh ginger root, grated ginger
1 tbsp ground turmeric
Toasted cumin
Aromatic leaves
Creamy coconut
400g tin chickpeas
Basil leaves, and additional for topping
Four eggs
Fresh chilies, finely sliced, for serving

Use a heavy skillet on a medium-high heat. Drizzle olive oil, toss in the onion and a pinch of salt, and cook for five to six minutes. Incorporate aromatics and spices, leave to sizzle, occasionally stirring briefly, pour in creamy liquid including chickpea can contents. Heat until boiling, reduce to a simmer, allow to cook slowly about 35 minutes, when sauce is rich and yellow. Adjust seasoning, mix in fresh basil.

With a spoon’s back making four indentations within the sauce, add eggs individually. Season eggs lightly salted, place a lid on the pan, gently heat briefly, until egg whites firm and the yolks just warm. Remove from heat, garnish with more basil and thinly sliced finger chillies, and serve.

Spicy Sausage Sauce with Tangy Peppers Steamed Eggs

Prep 10 minutes
Cooking time 45 min
Yields Two portions

Olive oil
Merguez sausages
1 tbsp harissa
Toasted cumin
Garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
400g good-quality tinned tomatoes
Salt
Four eggs
1 handful pickled peppers, diced
Chopped herbs, finely chopped
Creamy yogurt
Fresh lemon, cut into wedges, as garnish

Use a heavy pan at moderate temperature. Pour in oil when heated, peel sausages and break off pieces of the meat into the pan, resembling tiny meatballs. Lower temperature, then slowly brown the sausagemeat, extracting spicy fats. Stir merguez as they cook, for even browning.

After browning, mix in spices and garlic into the skillet, adjust to moderate flame fry with mixing, for several minutes, until the mix smells fragrant, with garlic cooked. Tip in the tomatoes, salt to taste let it bubble. Turn down the heat to low cooking gently for twenty minutes. Sauce will thicken, thicken and deepen in colour, with oils separating and surfacing.

Use the back of a spoon making indentations across base, then crack an egg into each. Dust with salt lightly salted, then cover the pan with a lid. Simmer briefly on low flame, until the whites are set with yolks runny.

Take off the heat, top with pickled peppers, parsley and yogurt, and oil splash, accompanied by lemon.