Coconut Turmeric Curry and Spicy Sausage Sauce: Ben Lippett's Oven-Free Egg Dishes Recipes

So, hear me out: the most delicious egg dishes are made without baking. Through culinary experiments, discovering that covering the pan produces a humid atmosphere that gently cooks the eggs, delivering a gently cooked delicately prepared egg featuring set whites plus liquid yolk. The intense, dry heat from baking is much more aggressive compared to steaming, and has a tendency making dishes dry and overcook the yolk. Here are two sauce options as inspiration, though feel free to experiment. Option one involves a straightforward turmeric coconut curry, whereas the spicy sausage sauce is a riff on traditional spicy eggs, or, to the likes of you and me, eggs cooked in zesty tomato base.

Golden Coconut Sauce Steamed Eggs (pictured above)

Preparation 10 minutes
Cook 55 minutes
Yields Two servings

Olive oil
1 onion, trimmed and minced
Fine sea salt
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
Fresh ginger root, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp ground turmeric
Toasted cumin
Curry leaves
Coconut milk
Canned chickpeas
Fresh basil, and additional for topping
Fresh eggs
2 green finger chillies, finely sliced, as garnish

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot on a medium-high heat. Pour in some oil, toss in the onion with some salt, and cook for five to six minutes. Incorporate aromatics and spices, leave to sizzle, stirring occasionally for three to four minutes, 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. Season with salt, mix in fresh basil.

Use the back of a spoon to create four little pockets across the base, then crack an egg into each. Sprinkle the top of each egg with a little salt, place a lid on the pan, gently heat briefly, until egg whites firm and yolks warmed. Turn off stove, finish with a few extra basil leaves and thinly sliced finger chillies, then serve immediately.

Merguez Ragu with Tangy Peppers Steamed Eggs

Preparation Quick prep
Cooking time 45 min
Serves 2

Oil
2 merguez-style lamb sausages
Spicy paste
Toasted cumin
2 garlic cloves, minced garlic
Canned tomatoes
Salt
Fresh eggs
Pickled peppers, coarsely cut
Fresh parsley, diced
Creamy yogurt
1 lemon, sliced into wedges, as garnish

Use a heavy pan on a medium heat. Drizzle olive oil once hot, remove the skins from the sausages and break off pieces into the skillet, resembling tiny meatballs. Turn down the heat, then slowly brown the sausagemeat, releasing flavorful oils. Stir merguez while cooking, so they colour on all sides.

Once browned, incorporate harissa, cumin, and garlic to the pot, turn up the heat to medium and cook, stirring, briefly, until the mix smells fragrant, and the garlic has lost its raw edge. Add tomatoes, salt to taste let it bubble. Reduce to low heat and leave to blip away about 20 minutes. The ragu will reduce, become richer and darker, while the oils split and rise to the top.

With a spoon making indentations in the sauce, break eggs in. Dust with salt with salt, cover skillet. Heat for minutes on low flame, when eggs set and the yolks just warm.

Remove from heat, finish with chopped pickled peppers, parsley, a blob of yoghurt, and oil splash, with lemon on side.