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Let me explain: the best baked eggs are made without baking. During recipe development, realizing that using a cover generates steam for cooking the egg tops, delivering a gently cooked soft-cooked egg with a tender white plus liquid yolk. The harsh, arid temperature from baking proves harsher versus moist heat, and has a tendency to dehydrate ingredients and harden the yolk. Presenting two flavorful bases as inspiration, but get creative. Option one involves a straightforward coconut turmeric blend, whereas the spicy sausage sauce 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 (pictured above)

Preparation 10 minutes
Cook 55 minutes
Yields Two servings

Olive oil
1 onion, skinned and diced
Sea salt
Two garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
Fresh ginger root, peeled and finely chopped
Turmeric powder
Cumin seeds
Curry leaves
200ml coconut milk
Chickpeas
A few basil leaves, and additional for topping
Four eggs
Green chilies, julienned, as garnish

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot over medium-high flame. Drizzle olive oil, toss in the onion seasoned with salt, and cook for five to six minutes. Mix in garlic, ginger, and spices, let them sizzle, stirring occasionally for a few minutes, then tip in the coconut milk including chickpea can contents. Let it bubble, reduce to a simmer, allow to cook slowly for 30-35 minutes, until thick and golden. Adjust seasoning, incorporate basil.

Use the back of a spoon forming small wells in the sauce, add eggs individually. Season eggs lightly salted, cover the skillet, simmer over low heat briefly, until the whites are set and the yolks just warm. Remove from heat, top with fresh herbs and thinly sliced finger chillies, ready to enjoy.

Merguez Ragu and Pickled Peppers Steamed Eggs

Preparation 10 minutes
Cook 45 minutes
Serves Two portions

Olive oil
2 merguez-style lamb sausages
Spicy paste
Cumin seeds
Garlic cloves, minced garlic
Tomato base
Fine sea salt
4 eggs
Pickled peppers, coarsely cut
Chopped herbs, minced
Greek yogurt
1 lemon, wedge-cut, as garnish

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot over medium flame. Add two tablespoons of olive oil when heated, remove the skins from the sausages and break off pieces into the skillet, almost like little meatballs. Lower temperature, then slowly brown the sausagemeat, extracting spicy fats. Stir merguez during cooking, for even browning.

When golden, add the harissa, cumin seeds and sliced garlic into the skillet, adjust to moderate flame fry with mixing, for three to four minutes, when fragrant, and the garlic has lost its raw edge. Tip in the tomatoes, salt to taste heat to simmer. Turn down the heat to low cooking gently for 20 minutes. Sauce will thicken, intensify in color, with oils separating and surfacing.

Employ utensil making indentations across base, break eggs in. Dust with salt lightly salted, cover skillet. Cook for two to three minutes gently, until whites firm and yolks warmed.

Remove from heat, top with pickled peppers, parsley and yogurt, and oil splash, with lemon on side.