Coconut Turmeric Curry and Spicy Sausage Sauce: The Chef's Oven-Free Egg Dishes Cooking Methods

Consider this: the most delicious egg dishes never require an oven. Through culinary experiments, realizing that using a cover produces a humid atmosphere to cook the top of the eggs, delivering a gently cooked soft-cooked egg with firm whites plus liquid yolk. The intense, dry heat of the oven proves harsher versus moist heat, and has a tendency making dishes dry and harden the yolk. I’ve given you two sauces as a jumping-off point, but get creative. Option one involves a straightforward golden coconut sauce, while the merguez ragu puts a twist on classic tomato-baked eggs, or, to the likes of you and me, eggs baked in spicy tomato sauce.

Turmeric Coconut Curry Steamed Eggs (pictured above)

Prep A quick 10 minutes
Cooking time 55 minutes
Yields 2

Extra virgin oil
One medium onion, trimmed and minced
Fine sea salt
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
10g fresh ginger, grated ginger
Golden spice
Cumin seeds
Curry leaves
Coconut milk
Chickpeas
Basil leaves, with more for garnish
Fresh eggs
Fresh chilies, finely sliced, to serve

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot over medium-high flame. Add a shot of olive oil, add the chopped onion with some salt, and cook for five to six minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin seeds and curry leaves, allow to cook, mixing now and then briefly, pour in creamy liquid along with chickpeas and liquid. Heat until boiling, lower heat to gentle cook, allow to cook slowly for 30-35 minutes, when sauce is rich and yellow. Adjust seasoning, mix in fresh basil.

Employ a utensil to create four little pockets across the base, then crack an egg into each. Dust each egg with a little salt, place a lid on the pan, and cook on a low heat for a few minutes, when whites are cooked and the yolks just warm. Turn off stove, top with fresh herbs plus chili slices, and serve.

Merguez Ragu and Pickled Peppers Baked Eggs

Preparation 10 minutes
Cook Under an hour
Yields Two portions

Oil
Merguez sausages
1 tbsp harissa
Cumin seeds
Garlic cloves, minced garlic
400g good-quality tinned tomatoes
Seasoning
4 eggs
Tangy peppers, coarsely cut
Fresh parsley, minced
Creamy yogurt
Fresh lemon, sliced into wedges, as garnish

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot over medium flame. Pour in oil and, once it’s warm, take off sausage casings and pinch small amounts into the skillet, resembling tiny meatballs. Lower temperature, then slowly brown the sausagemeat, so it renders out all that spicy, flavour-packed fat. Move sausage pieces during cooking, for even browning.

When golden, incorporate harissa, cumin, and garlic to the pan, turn up the heat to medium fry with mixing, for several minutes, until the mix smells fragrant, with garlic cooked. Pour in tomato contents, season with salt and bring to a simmer. Turn down the heat to low and simmer slowly for twenty minutes. The ragu will reduce, become richer and darker, while the oils split and rise to the top.

Use the back of a spoon making indentations within sauce, add eggs individually. Dust with salt with a little salt, cover skillet. Simmer briefly gently, until whites firm with yolks runny.

Turn off stove, finish with chopped pickled peppers, parsley, a blob of yoghurt, plus oil drizzle, and serve with lemon wedges.