Surti Locho (Authentic Surat-Style Steamed Snack)
Soft steamed locho from fermented chana dal, urad dal, and poha batter, served Surat-style with homemade locho masala, green chutney, sev, and onion.
Equipment
- Blender
- Steamer
- Shallow steel plate or dhokla tray (9-inch)
Ingredients
For the locho batter
- 1 cup chana dal split Bengal gram
- 1/3 cup urad dal split black gram, skinless
- 3 tablespoons poha thick flattened rice
- water for soaking, plus about 1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh water while grinding after drain
- 2 teaspoons ginger-chili paste or 1 inch ginger plus 1 to 2 green chilies, ground
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 pinches hing asafoetida
- 1 1/4 tablespoons neutral oil peanut or sunflower
- 1 teaspoon fine salt plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon Eno fruit salt or 1/4 teaspoon baking soda mixed with 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
For locho masala
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Kashmiri red chili powder or mild red chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons black salt kala namak
- 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder bhuna jeera
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder
- 1/2 teaspoon chaat masala
For locho chutney
- 1 cup fresh coriander leaves and tender stems
- 1/4 cup mint leaves
- 2-3 green chilies adjust to heat
- 1 inch ginger
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- salt to taste
- 2-3 tablespoons water as needed
- 2 tablespoons leftover khaman or dhokla optional, for chutney body
To plate and serve
- 2-3 tablespoons melted butter or neutral oil
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1/2 cup fine sev gram flour noodles
- locho masala extra, to taste
- lemon wedges
- green chilies for serving
Instructions
Soak and grind the batter
- Rinse chana dal and urad dal. Soak together in plenty of water for 6 to 8 hours (or overnight).
- About 15 minutes before grinding, rinse poha and soak in a small bowl of water.
- Drain the dals well. In a blender, grind soaked poha with a few tablespoons of fresh water until smooth.
- Add drained chana dal and urad dal. Grind again, adding fresh water gradually until the batter is thick and smooth, similar to dhokla batter.
- Pour into a large bowl. Cover loosely and ferment in a warm place for 8 to 10 hours. The batter should look slightly risen and smell mildly sour.
Make locho masala and chutney
- Mix all locho masala ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
- For chutney, blend coriander, mint, green chilies, ginger, cumin, sugar, lemon juice, salt, and water until smooth. Add optional khaman or dhokla piece and blend again. Adjust salt and lemon to taste.
Season and steam the locho
- After fermentation, stir ginger-chili paste, turmeric, hing, oil, and salt into the batter. If the batter looks too thick, mix in 1 to 2 tablespoons water.
- Preheat a steamer with at least 2 inches of water at a rolling boil. Grease a shallow steel plate or dhokla tray (about 9-inch) with oil.
- Add Eno to the batter and fold gently once, or stir in baking soda and lemon juice and mix immediately.
- Pour batter onto the greased plate to about 1/2-inch thickness. Sprinkle a pinch of red chili powder and black pepper on top if you like.
- Place the plate in the steamer, cover, and steam on medium-high heat for 18 to 20 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean and the surface looks set and puffy.
Plate like Surat
- Working quickly while the locho is hot, scoop a generous portion onto a serving plate.
- Use the back of a spoon to spread and flatten the locho thinly across the plate. This is the classic Surat look.
- Drizzle melted butter or oil around the plate. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons locho chutney, a generous pinch of locho masala, chopped onion, and sev. Serve immediately with extra masala, chutney, and lemon on the side.
Notes
Ferment timing: Start the soak Friday evening, grind Saturday morning, ferment through the day, and steam Sunday breakfast. The batter keeps in the fridge up to 24 hours after fermenting if you need to pause before steaming.
Batter thickness matters. Too thick gives dense locho; too thin will not puff well. Aim for thick idli batter that coats a spoon.
Eno gives a quick, reliable rise. Baking soda with lemon works in a pinch; use it only right before steaming.
Street stalls use plenty of butter. At home we often use half butter and half oil, or all oil for a vegan plate.
A small piece of leftover corn dhokla blended into the chutney mimics Surat farsan-shop texture. Skip it if you do not have scraps.
Locho is best fresh. Refrigerate plain steamed locho up to 2 days and re-steam briefly before plating. Do not freeze; texture turns crumbly.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!