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So, hear me out: the most delicious egg dishes are made without baking. When testing these recipes, I found that simply adding a lid generates steam to cook the top of the eggs, resulting in perfectly cooked perfectly poached egg with firm whites plus liquid yolk. The intense, dry heat from baking proves harsher than steam, typically causing making dishes dry and overcook the yolk. Presenting two flavorful bases as a jumping-off point, but get creative. The first features an easy coconut turmeric blend, while the merguez ragu puts a twist on eggs in purgatory, or, to the likes of you and me, eggs baked in spicy tomato sauce.

Turmeric Coconut Curry Steamed Eggs (shown above)

Preparation A quick 10 minutes
Cooking time 55 minutes
Yields Two people

Olive oil
One medium onion, skinned and diced
Fine sea salt
2 garlic cloves, minced garlic
10g fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp ground turmeric
Cumin seeds
Curry leaves
Creamy coconut
Canned chickpeas
A few basil leaves, and additional for topping
4 eggs
2 green finger chillies, thinly cut, for serving

Use a heavy skillet on a medium-high heat. Pour in some oil, toss in the onion and a pinch of salt, sauté for several minutes. Incorporate aromatics and spices, leave to sizzle, stirring occasionally for three to four minutes, pour in creamy liquid including chickpea can contents. Let it bubble, lower heat to gentle cook, let it simmer about 35 minutes, until thick and golden. Add salt to taste, then stir in the basil leaves.

Use the back of a spoon to create four little pockets across the base, add eggs individually. Sprinkle the top of each egg with salt, cover the skillet, gently heat for a few minutes, until egg whites firm and the yolks just warm. Take off the heat, top with fresh herbs and thinly sliced finger chillies, ready to enjoy.

Spicy Sausage Sauce and Pickled Peppers Steamed Eggs

Prep Quick prep
Cook 45 min
Serves Two portions

Olive oil
Spicy lamb sausages
Spicy paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
Garlic cloves, sliced thin
400g good-quality tinned tomatoes
Fine sea salt
Fresh eggs
Pickled peppers, coarsely cut
Fresh parsley, finely chopped
Creamy yogurt
1 lemon, wedge-cut, as garnish

Use a heavy pan on a medium heat. Drizzle olive oil and, once it’s warm, take off sausage casings and break off pieces adding to pan, almost like little meatballs. Lower temperature, brown the meat slowly, so it renders out all that spicy, flavour-packed fat. Roll the merguez pieces around the pan as they cook, to brown evenly.

After browning, incorporate harissa, cumin, and garlic to the pot, adjust to moderate flame fry with mixing, for several minutes, until the mix smells fragrant, with garlic cooked. Add tomatoes, add seasoning and bring to a simmer. Lower to gentle simmer and simmer slowly about 20 minutes. Ragu thickens, thicken and deepen in colour, with oils separating and surfacing.

With a spoon forming wells within sauce, break eggs in. Season eggs lightly salted, place lid on pan. Cook for two to three minutes over a low heat, when eggs set and yolks warmed.

Take off the heat, top with pickled peppers, herbs, yogurt dollop, and a drizzle of oil, with lemon on side.