Turmeric Coconut Curry and Merguez Ragu: The Chef's Baked Eggs Cooking Methods

Let me explain: the most delicious egg dishes never require an oven. When testing these recipes, discovering that covering the pan produces a humid atmosphere for cooking the egg tops, delivering a gently cooked perfectly poached egg with firm whites plus liquid yolk. The harsh, arid temperature from baking is much more aggressive than steam, typically causing making dishes dry and harden the yolk. Presenting two flavorful bases as inspiration, but get creative. The first features an easy golden coconut sauce, whereas the spicy sausage sauce puts a twist on eggs in purgatory, or, to the likes of you and me, eggs cooked in zesty tomato base.

Turmeric Coconut Curry Steamed Eggs (featured)

Preparation 10 min
Cook 55 minutes
Yields Two servings

Extra virgin oil
1 onion, trimmed and minced
Sea salt
2 garlic cloves, minced garlic
Fresh ginger root, grated ginger
Golden spice
½ tbsp cumin seeds
Curry leaves
Creamy coconut
Chickpeas
Fresh basil, and additional for topping
Four eggs
Green chilies, finely sliced, for serving

Use a heavy skillet at moderate-high temperature. Drizzle olive oil, toss in the onion seasoned with salt, and cook for five to six minutes. Mix in garlic, ginger, and spices, allow to cook, occasionally stirring for three to four minutes, add coconut milk and the chickpeas and their tin liquid. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, let it simmer for half an hour, until thick and golden. Adjust seasoning, incorporate basil.

Employ a utensil making four indentations in the sauce, break eggs into each. Dust each egg lightly salted, then cover the pan with a lid, and cook on a low heat briefly, until egg whites firm and the yolks just warm. Take off the heat, garnish with more basil plus chili slices, ready to enjoy.

Spicy Sausage Sauce and Pickled Peppers Baked Eggs

Prep 10 min
Cooking time 45 min
Yields Two

Olive oil
2 merguez-style lamb sausages
Harissa paste
Toasted cumin
2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
400g good-quality tinned tomatoes
Salt
4 eggs
1 handful pickled peppers, diced
1 small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Creamy yogurt
Fresh lemon, sliced into wedges, as garnish

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot at moderate temperature. Drizzle olive oil once hot, take off sausage casings and pinch small amounts into the skillet, almost like little meatballs. Lower temperature, cook until golden, so it renders out all that spicy, flavour-packed fat. Roll the merguez pieces around the pan as they cook, to brown evenly.

Once browned, mix in spices and garlic to the pot, turn up the heat to medium fry with mixing, for three to four minutes, when fragrant, with garlic cooked. Pour in tomato contents, season with salt heat to simmer. Turn down the heat to low and simmer slowly about 20 minutes. Ragu thickens, thicken and deepen in colour, while the oils split and rise to the top.

With a spoon to create four little pockets across base, break eggs in. Dust with salt lightly salted, place lid on pan. Cook for two to three minutes on low flame, until the whites are set and the yolks just warm.

Take off the heat, top with pickled peppers, herbs, yogurt dollop, plus oil drizzle, and serve with lemon wedges.