Coconut Turmeric Curry and Merguez Ragu: Ben Lippett's Oven-Free Egg Dishes Cooking Methods

Let me explain: the most delicious egg dishes don’t ever hit the oven. When testing these recipes, realizing that using a cover produces a humid atmosphere for cooking the egg tops, delivering a gently cooked delicately prepared egg with firm whites plus liquid yolk. The harsh, arid temperature of the oven acts stronger versus moist heat, often leading to dehydrate ingredients and overcook the yolk. Presenting two flavorful bases as a jumping-off point, though feel free to experiment. The first features an easy coconut turmeric blend, while the merguez ragu reimagines classic tomato-baked eggs, or, to the likes of you and me, spicy tomato eggs.

Golden Coconut Sauce Baked Eggs (shown above)

Prep 10 minutes
Cook 55 minutes
Serves Two servings

Olive oil
One medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
Sea salt
Two garlic cloves, minced garlic
10g fresh ginger, grated ginger
1 tbsp ground turmeric
½ tbsp cumin seeds
Curry leaves
200ml coconut milk
400g tin chickpeas
Basil leaves, with more for garnish
Fresh eggs
Fresh chilies, finely sliced, to serve

Heat a cast-iron pan over medium-high flame. Add a shot of olive oil, add the chopped onion with some salt, and cook for five to six minutes. Incorporate aromatics and spices, let them sizzle, stirring occasionally briefly, then tip in the coconut milk and the chickpeas and their tin liquid. Let it bubble, lower heat to gentle cook, let it simmer for half an hour, when sauce is rich and yellow. Season with salt, incorporate basil.

Employ a utensil making four indentations in the sauce, break eggs into each. Season eggs with a little salt, place a lid on the pan, simmer over low heat briefly, when whites are cooked and yolks warmed. Turn off stove, finish with a few extra basil leaves and thinly sliced finger chillies, then serve immediately.

Spicy Sausage Sauce and Pickled Peppers Baked Eggs

Preparation 10 min
Cooking time Under an hour
Yields Two

Olive oil
2 merguez-style lamb sausages
Spicy paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
Garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
Canned tomatoes
Salt
Fresh eggs
Tangy peppers, diced
Chopped herbs, finely chopped
Greek yogurt
1 lemon, wedge-cut, as garnish

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot over medium flame. Add two tablespoons of olive oil once hot, peel sausages and break off pieces into the skillet, like mini balls. Turn down the heat, brown the meat slowly, so it renders out all that spicy, flavour-packed fat. Roll the merguez pieces around the pan as they cook, for even browning.

Once browned, mix in spices and garlic to the pot, adjust to moderate flame sauté while stirring, for three to four minutes, until aromatic, and the garlic has lost its raw edge. Tip in the tomatoes, add seasoning and bring to a simmer. Turn down the heat to low cooking gently for twenty minutes. The ragu will reduce, intensify in color, with oils separating and surfacing.

Employ utensil making indentations across base, break eggs in. Season eggs with a little salt, then cover the pan with a lid. Simmer briefly on low flame, when eggs set with yolks runny.

Remove from heat, top with pickled peppers, parsley and yogurt, plus oil drizzle, and serve with lemon wedges.