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Consider this: the best baked eggs are made without baking. Through culinary experiments, discovering that covering the pan generates steam to cook the top of the eggs, resulting in perfectly cooked delicately prepared egg featuring set whites and a warm, runny yolk. The intense, dry heat in conventional ovens acts stronger versus moist heat, and has a tendency to dry everything out and harden the yolk. I’ve given you two sauces as a jumping-off point, encouraging customization. The first features an easy turmeric coconut curry, whereas the spicy sausage sauce puts a twist on classic tomato-baked eggs, or, to the likes of you and me, spicy tomato eggs.

Golden Coconut Sauce Steamed Eggs (featured)

Preparation 10 minutes
Cook Just under an hour
Yields 2

Olive oil
One medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
Sea salt
2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
Fresh ginger root, grated ginger
1 tbsp ground turmeric
Cumin seeds
Curry leaves
200ml coconut milk
Chickpeas
A few basil leaves, plus extra to serve
Four eggs
Green chilies, thinly cut, as garnish

Heat a cast-iron pan over medium-high flame. Add a shot of olive oil, add the chopped onion seasoned with salt, sauté for several minutes. Incorporate aromatics and spices, let them sizzle, occasionally stirring for a few minutes, pour in creamy liquid including chickpea can contents. Bring to a boil, lower heat to gentle cook, allow to cook slowly about 35 minutes, when sauce is rich and yellow. Adjust seasoning, mix in fresh basil.

With a spoon’s back to create four little pockets across the base, then crack an egg into each. Season eggs with salt, then cover the pan with a lid, gently heat briefly, until egg whites firm and the yolks just warm. Remove from heat, finish with a few extra basil leaves plus chili slices, then serve immediately.

Spicy Sausage Sauce and Pickled Peppers Baked Eggs

Preparation 10 min
Cooking time 45 minutes
Serves Two

Olive oil
Merguez sausages
Harissa paste
Toasted cumin
2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
Canned tomatoes
Salt
Fresh eggs
1 handful pickled peppers, diced
Chopped herbs, minced
Creamy yogurt
Fresh lemon, wedge-cut, as garnish

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot on a medium heat. Drizzle olive oil and, once it’s warm, peel sausages forming small bits of the meat into the pan, like mini balls. Reduce heat, brown the meat slowly, so it renders out all that spicy, flavour-packed fat. Roll the merguez pieces around the pan while cooking, for even browning.

When golden, mix in spices and garlic into the skillet, increase to medium heat sauté while stirring, briefly, until aromatic, with garlic cooked. Tip in the tomatoes, add seasoning let it bubble. Lower to gentle simmer cooking gently for 20 minutes. Ragu thickens, thicken and deepen in colour, with oils separating and surfacing.

Use the back of a spoon making indentations in the sauce, break eggs in. Dust with salt with a little salt, then cover the pan with a lid. Heat for minutes on low flame, until whites firm with yolks runny.

Turn off stove, top with pickled peppers, herbs, yogurt dollop, plus oil drizzle, accompanied by lemon.