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Consider this: the most delicious egg dishes never require an oven. During recipe development, realizing that using a cover produces a humid atmosphere to cook the top of the eggs, yielding tender perfectly poached egg with firm whites and flowing center. The harsh, arid temperature of the oven proves harsher compared to steaming, typically causing to dry everything out resulting in firm yolks. Presenting two flavorful bases as a jumping-off point, though feel free to experiment. The first features an easy turmeric coconut curry, whereas the spicy sausage sauce reimagines eggs in purgatory, or simply put, eggs cooked in zesty tomato base.

Golden Coconut Sauce Steamed Eggs (pictured above)

Prep 10 min
Cook 55 minutes
Yields Two servings

Extra virgin oil
1 onion, trimmed and minced
Fine sea salt
2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
Fresh ginger root, minced ginger
1 tbsp ground turmeric
Cumin seeds
Curry leaves
200ml coconut milk
Chickpeas
Basil leaves, with more for garnish
4 eggs
Green chilies, finely sliced, to serve

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot over medium-high flame. Drizzle olive oil, incorporate onions seasoned with salt, and cook for five to six minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin seeds and curry leaves, allow to cook, occasionally stirring briefly, add coconut milk and the chickpeas and their tin liquid. Let it bubble, lower heat to gentle cook, and leave it to tick over about 35 minutes, until thick and golden. Add salt to taste, mix in fresh basil.

Employ a utensil forming small wells within the sauce, then crack an egg into each. Season eggs lightly salted, then cover the pan with a lid, simmer over low heat briefly, until egg whites firm and the yolks just warm. Remove from heat, top with fresh herbs and thinly sliced finger chillies, ready to enjoy.

Spicy Sausage Sauce with Tangy Peppers Baked Eggs

Prep 10 minutes
Cook Under an hour
Serves Two portions

Olive oil
2 merguez-style lamb sausages
Harissa paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
Garlic cloves, sliced thin
Tomato base
Salt
Four eggs
1 handful pickled peppers, diced
Chopped herbs, diced
3 tbsp thick Greek yoghurt
Fresh lemon, cut into wedges, to serve

Use a heavy pan on a medium heat. Drizzle olive oil and, once it’s warm, take off sausage casings and break off pieces into the skillet, like mini balls. Turn down the heat, cook until golden, extracting spicy fats. Move sausage pieces while cooking, so they colour on all sides.

Once browned, add the harissa, cumin seeds and sliced garlic to the pot, turn up the heat to medium and cook, stirring, for several minutes, when fragrant, and garlic softens. Pour in tomato contents, season with salt heat to simmer. Turn down the heat to low and simmer slowly for 20 minutes. Ragu thickens, become richer and darker, with oils separating and surfacing.

Use the back of a spoon to create four little pockets within sauce, add eggs individually. Season eggs with salt, cover skillet. Cook for two to three minutes gently, when eggs set with yolks runny.

Take off the heat, garnish with peppers, parsley and yogurt, and oil splash, with lemon on side.