🔗 Share this article

So, hear me out: the best baked eggs never require an oven. During recipe development, realizing that using a cover generates steam that gently cooks the eggs, resulting in perfectly cooked delicately prepared egg with firm whites and flowing center. Direct oven heat of the oven acts stronger compared to steaming, typically causing to dehydrate ingredients and overcook the yolk. I’ve given you two sauces as a jumping-off point, though feel free to experiment. The first features an easy turmeric coconut curry, while the merguez ragu is a riff on classic tomato-baked eggs, or simply put, spicy tomato eggs.

Golden Coconut Sauce Steamed Eggs (pictured above)

Preparation 10 minutes
Cooking time 55 minutes
Serves Two servings

Olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
Sea salt
2 garlic cloves, minced garlic
Fresh ginger root, grated ginger
Golden spice
Cumin seeds
Aromatic leaves
Creamy coconut
Chickpeas
Basil leaves, with more for garnish
Four eggs
Green chilies, julienned, to serve

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot at moderate-high temperature. Add a shot of olive oil, add the chopped onion with some salt, and cook for five to six minutes. Incorporate aromatics and spices, let them sizzle, mixing now and then briefly, add coconut milk including chickpea can contents. Let it bubble, then turn down to a simmer, let it simmer about 35 minutes, until thickened and deep yellow in colour. Add salt to taste, incorporate basil.

Use the back of a spoon making four indentations within the sauce, break eggs into each. Season eggs lightly salted, then cover the pan with a lid, and cook on a low heat for two to three minutes, until the whites are set with yolks still runny. Turn off stove, top with fresh herbs plus chili slices, then serve immediately.

Merguez Ragu and Pickled Peppers Steamed Eggs

Prep 10 min
Cooking time 45 minutes
Serves Two

Oil
2 merguez-style lamb sausages
Spicy paste
Cumin seeds
Garlic cloves, sliced thin
Tomato base
Fine sea salt
Four eggs
Pickled peppers, diced
1 small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced
3 tbsp thick Greek yoghurt
Fresh lemon, cut into wedges, as garnish

Heat a skillet on a medium heat. Pour in oil once hot, peel sausages and break off pieces into the skillet, like mini balls. Lower temperature, then slowly brown the sausagemeat, extracting spicy fats. Stir merguez as they cook, so they colour on all sides.

After browning, incorporate harissa, cumin, and garlic into the skillet, increase to medium heat sauté while stirring, for several minutes, until aromatic, and garlic softens. Pour in tomato contents, season with salt let it bubble. Reduce to low heat cooking gently for twenty minutes. Sauce will thicken, intensify in color, with oils separating and surfacing.

Use the back of a spoon making indentations within sauce, then crack an egg into each. Season eggs with salt, cover skillet. Cook for two to three minutes gently, until the whites are set and yolks warmed.

Take off the heat, garnish with peppers, herbs, yogurt dollop, and a drizzle of oil, and serve with lemon wedges.