🔗 Share this article

Consider this: the best baked eggs don’t ever hit the oven. When testing these recipes, discovering that covering the pan produces a humid atmosphere to cook the top of the eggs, delivering a gently cooked delicately prepared egg with a tender white and a warm, runny yolk. The harsh, arid temperature of the oven acts stronger compared to steaming, often leading to dehydrate ingredients and overcook the yolk. Presenting two flavorful bases to get started, though feel free to experiment. One is a super-simple coconut turmeric blend, while the merguez ragu is a riff on traditional spicy eggs, or simply put, spicy tomato eggs.

Golden Coconut Sauce Baked Eggs (pictured above)

Preparation 10 minutes
Cooking time Just under an hour
Serves Two people

Extra virgin oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
Fine sea salt
Two garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
10g fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
Turmeric powder
Cumin seeds
Curry leaves
200ml coconut milk
Chickpeas
A few basil leaves, with more for garnish
Fresh eggs
2 green finger chillies, finely sliced, for serving

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot at moderate-high temperature. Pour in some oil, incorporate onions with some salt, and cook for five to six minutes. Mix in garlic, ginger, and spices, let them sizzle, occasionally stirring for a few minutes, pour in creamy liquid including chickpea can contents. Heat until boiling, lower heat to gentle cook, and leave it to tick over for 30-35 minutes, when sauce is rich and yellow. Season with salt, then stir in the basil leaves.

Use the back of a spoon making four indentations in the sauce, then crack an egg into each. Season eggs with salt, cover the skillet, simmer over low heat briefly, until egg whites firm and yolks warmed. Turn off stove, top with fresh herbs plus chili slices, then serve immediately.

Merguez Ragu with Tangy Peppers Baked Eggs

Preparation 10 minutes
Cooking time Under an hour
Yields 2

Olive oil
2 merguez-style lamb sausages
1 tbsp harissa
Cumin seeds
Garlic cloves, minced garlic
Tomato base
Fine sea salt
Four eggs
Tangy peppers, diced
1 small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, diced
Creamy yogurt
Fresh lemon, cut into wedges, as garnish

Use a heavy pan over medium flame. Add two tablespoons of olive oil when heated, remove the skins from the sausages and break off pieces into the skillet, almost like little meatballs. Lower temperature, brown the meat slowly, so it renders out all that spicy, flavour-packed fat. Stir merguez as they cook, to brown evenly.

Once browned, incorporate harissa, cumin, and garlic into the skillet, increase to medium heat fry with mixing, for several minutes, until the mix smells fragrant, and the garlic has lost its raw edge. Tip in the tomatoes, season with salt let it bubble. Reduce to low heat and leave to blip away about 20 minutes. The ragu will reduce, thicken and deepen in colour, with oils separating and surfacing.

Employ utensil making indentations in the sauce, add eggs individually. Season eggs with salt, then cover the pan with a lid. Cook for two to three minutes gently, until whites firm and the yolks just warm.

Turn off stove, finish with chopped pickled peppers, parsley and yogurt, and oil splash, with lemon on side.