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So, hear me out: the best baked eggs don’t ever hit the oven. When testing these recipes, discovering that covering the pan produces a humid atmosphere for cooking the egg tops, delivering a gently cooked soft-cooked egg with firm whites plus liquid yolk. The intense, dry heat from baking proves harsher versus moist heat, and has a tendency making dishes dry resulting in firm yolks. I’ve given you two sauces as a jumping-off point, encouraging customization. Option one involves a straightforward golden coconut sauce, whereas the spicy sausage sauce puts a twist on eggs in purgatory, essentially, eggs baked in spicy tomato sauce.

Golden Coconut Sauce Steamed Eggs (pictured above)

Preparation 10 min
Cooking time Just under an hour
Serves Two servings

Olive oil
One medium onion, skinned and diced
Fine sea salt
Two garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
Fresh ginger root, grated ginger
1 tbsp ground turmeric
Toasted cumin
Curry leaves
200ml coconut milk
Canned chickpeas
Fresh basil, and additional for topping
Fresh eggs
Green chilies, finely sliced, to serve

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot over medium-high flame. Drizzle olive oil, toss in the onion seasoned with salt, sauté for several minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin seeds and curry leaves, leave to sizzle, stirring occasionally for three to four minutes, then tip in the coconut milk including chickpea can contents. Let it bubble, then turn down to a simmer, and leave it to tick over for 30-35 minutes, when sauce is rich and yellow. Season with salt, mix in fresh basil.

Use the back of a spoon to create four little pockets in the sauce, break eggs into each. Season eggs with salt, place a lid on the pan, and cook on a low heat for a few minutes, until the whites are set and yolks warmed. Remove from heat, garnish with more basil and thinly sliced finger chillies, ready to enjoy.

Spicy Sausage Sauce and Pickled Peppers Steamed Eggs

Preparation 10 min
Cook 45 minutes
Serves Two

Oil
Merguez sausages
Spicy paste
Cumin seeds
2 garlic cloves, minced garlic
Canned tomatoes
Salt
Four eggs
Pickled peppers, coarsely cut
1 small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Greek yogurt
1 lemon, wedge-cut, to serve

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot on a medium heat. Pour in oil once hot, take off sausage casings and pinch small amounts adding to pan, like mini balls. Turn down the heat, cook until golden, so it renders out all that spicy, flavour-packed fat. Move sausage pieces as they cook, for even browning.

When golden, incorporate harissa, cumin, and garlic to the pan, adjust to moderate flame fry with mixing, for several minutes, until the mix smells fragrant, with garlic cooked. Tip in the tomatoes, season with salt heat to simmer. Lower to gentle simmer cooking gently for twenty minutes. The ragu will reduce, become richer and darker, while the oils split and rise to the top.

Employ utensil making indentations within sauce, then crack an egg into each. Dust with salt with salt, place lid on pan. Simmer briefly over a low heat, until whites firm with yolks runny.

Remove from heat, garnish with peppers, parsley and yogurt, and a drizzle of oil, accompanied by lemon.