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Let me explain: the most delicious egg dishes are made without baking. During recipe development, realizing that using a cover creates a steamy environment for cooking the egg tops, resulting in perfectly cooked soft-cooked egg with firm whites plus liquid yolk. Direct oven heat from baking is much more aggressive compared to steaming, often leading to dehydrate ingredients resulting in firm yolks. Presenting two flavorful bases as inspiration, though feel free to experiment. The first features an easy golden coconut sauce, and the second offers a merguez ragu is a riff on traditional spicy eggs, or, to the likes of you and me, spicy tomato eggs.

Golden Coconut Sauce Steamed Eggs (featured)

Prep 10 minutes
Cooking time 55 minutes
Serves Two servings

Olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
Salt
2 garlic cloves, minced garlic
10g fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
Turmeric powder
½ tbsp cumin seeds
6-8 curry leaves
Creamy coconut
400g tin chickpeas
Basil leaves, plus extra to serve
Four eggs
Green chilies, thinly cut, as garnish

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot at moderate-high temperature. Drizzle olive oil, add the chopped onion seasoned with salt, sauté for several minutes. Incorporate aromatics and spices, let them sizzle, occasionally stirring for three to four minutes, add coconut milk along with chickpeas and liquid. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, let it simmer about 35 minutes, until thick and golden. Season with salt, mix in fresh basil.

Use the back of a spoon to create four little pockets across the base, break eggs into each. Sprinkle the top of each egg lightly salted, cover the skillet, simmer over low heat for a few minutes, when whites are cooked and yolks warmed. Remove from heat, garnish with more basil and thinly sliced finger chillies, then serve immediately.

Merguez Ragu with Tangy Peppers Steamed Eggs

Prep 10 minutes
Cook 45 minutes
Yields Two portions

Olive oil
Merguez sausages
Spicy paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
Garlic cloves, minced garlic
Canned tomatoes
Salt
4 eggs
1 handful pickled peppers, diced
Fresh parsley, finely chopped
Creamy yogurt
1 lemon, cut into wedges, as garnish

Use a heavy pan at moderate temperature. Drizzle olive oil once hot, peel sausages and pinch small amounts into the skillet, like mini balls. Lower temperature, then slowly brown the sausagemeat, releasing flavorful oils. Stir merguez while cooking, to brown evenly.

When golden, mix in spices and garlic to the pan, turn up the heat to medium sauté while stirring, for three to four minutes, until the mix smells fragrant, with garlic cooked. Add tomatoes, season with salt let it bubble. Turn down the heat to low and simmer slowly for 20 minutes. Sauce will thicken, become richer and darker, as oils separate.

Use the back of a spoon forming wells in the sauce, then crack an egg into each. Sprinkle the top of each egg lightly salted, cover skillet. Heat for minutes over a low heat, until whites firm and the yolks just warm.

Take off the heat, top with pickled peppers, parsley and yogurt, and a drizzle of oil, and serve with lemon wedges.