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So, hear me out: the best baked eggs don’t ever hit the oven. When testing these recipes, I found that simply adding a lid generates steam to cook the top of the eggs, yielding tender soft-cooked egg with firm whites and a warm, runny yolk. The intense, dry heat from baking proves harsher than steam, typically causing to dry everything out resulting in firm yolks. I’ve given you two sauces to get started, encouraging customization. Option one involves a straightforward turmeric coconut curry, whereas the spicy sausage sauce reimagines classic tomato-baked eggs, or simply put, spicy tomato eggs.

Golden Coconut Sauce Baked Eggs (shown above)

Prep A quick 10 minutes
Cooking time Just under an hour
Serves Two people

Olive oil
1 onion, trimmed and minced
Salt
Two garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
10g fresh ginger, grated ginger
1 tbsp ground turmeric
Cumin seeds
Curry leaves
Coconut milk
Canned chickpeas
Basil leaves, plus extra to serve
4 eggs
2 green finger chillies, finely sliced, as garnish

Use a heavy skillet over medium-high flame. Pour in some oil, add the chopped onion with some salt, sauté for several minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin seeds and curry leaves, leave to sizzle, mixing now and then for three to four minutes, pour in creamy liquid including chickpea can contents. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer, let it simmer about 35 minutes, until thick and golden. Adjust seasoning, incorporate basil.

Use the back of a spoon to create four little pockets within the sauce, then crack an egg into each. Season eggs lightly salted, place a lid on the pan, gently heat for two to three minutes, until egg whites firm with yolks still runny. Turn off stove, top with fresh herbs and sliced chilies, then serve immediately.

Merguez Ragu and Pickled Peppers Baked Eggs

Prep 10 minutes
Cooking time Under an hour
Yields 2

Olive oil
2 merguez-style lamb sausages
1 tbsp harissa
Toasted cumin
Garlic cloves, sliced thin
400g good-quality tinned tomatoes
Seasoning
Fresh eggs
1 handful pickled peppers, diced
1 small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
3 tbsp thick Greek yoghurt
1 lemon, sliced into wedges, as garnish

Use a heavy pan on a medium heat. Add two tablespoons of olive oil and, once it’s warm, remove the skins from the sausages forming small bits adding to pan, resembling tiny meatballs. Reduce heat, then slowly brown the sausagemeat, extracting spicy fats. Roll the merguez pieces around the pan while cooking, to brown evenly.

Once browned, mix in spices and garlic into the skillet, increase to medium heat fry with mixing, briefly, until aromatic, with garlic cooked. Pour in tomato contents, add seasoning heat to simmer. Lower to gentle simmer and leave to blip away about 20 minutes. Sauce will thicken, become richer and darker, as oils separate.

Employ utensil making indentations in the sauce, break eggs in. Season eggs with a little salt, place lid on pan. Cook for two to three minutes over a low heat, until whites firm and yolks warmed.

Take off the heat, finish with chopped pickled peppers, herbs, yogurt dollop, and oil splash, with lemon on side.