Surati Locho

Surati Locho

Surati Locho

Veg

The most celebrated dish of Surat — a deliberately soft, crumbly steamed preparation made from a chana dal batter that is intentionally understeamed so the centre remains just slightly underdone and almost pudding-like. The locho emerges from the steamer as a fragrant, pale-yellow, tender mass that is broken into a bowl, topped with a generous drizzle of butter and oil, then buried under a mound of sev, finely chopped onion, green chilli, and a squeeze of lime. There is no equivalent in any other regional cuisine; the texture of a perfect locho — soft without being wet, crumbly without being dry — requires precise batter consistency and steaming time. The dish has such cultural gravity in Surat that it is eaten at all hours from breakfast to late evening, with dedicated locho shops operating for generations.

Cuisines

Gujarati Surati

Best for

Breakfast Lunch Snacks

Recipe

Prep: 30 min Cook: 20 min Total: 50 min 2-3 servings

Ingredients

1 cup chana dal (split chickpeas)
1/2 cup urad dal (split black gram)
1/4 cup poha (flattened rice)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon ginger-green chili paste
1/2 teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
1 teaspoon eno fruit salt
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
— salt to taste
— water as needed

Instructions

  1. 1 Wash and soak the chana dal and urad dal together in water for 4-5 hours.
  2. 2 Drain the soaked dals and blend them with poha, adding water as needed to form a smooth batter.
  3. 3 Transfer the batter to a bowl and add turmeric powder, ginger-green chili paste, asafoetida, and salt. Mix well.
  4. 4 Let the batter ferment for 6-8 hours or overnight in a warm place.
  5. 5 Once fermented, add eno fruit salt to the batter and mix gently.
  6. 6 Grease a steaming plate with oil and pour the batter into it.
  7. 7 Steam the batter in a steamer for about 15-20 minutes or until cooked through.
  8. 8 In a small pan, heat oil and add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Let them splutter.
  9. 9 Pour the tempering over the steamed locho and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
  10. 10 Serve hot with green chutney and sev on the side.

Tips

For a spicier version, increase the amount of green chili in the paste.