As the story goes (partly as I heard from Gujju relatives and partly made up by me),

A shop sold really tasty dhoklas in Surat. One day the cook at this shop was making his fresh batch of dhoklas, but he was distracted. We could imagine that it was makar sankranti, and he was totally engrossed in the kite flying frenzy on his terrace. He had to prepare a fresh batch of dhoklas and then continue his sankranti joys of kite flying. In his haste, he added too much water into the dhokla batter and basically made some kind of mess.

“Mess” in Gujarati is called “Locho”. If you frequent Mumbai then you will find a lot of Gujjus (like me) mention that a ‘Locha’ has happened. It means that something got messed up.

So, this cook’s dhokla dish got totally messed up. But since his customers were totally ravenous after their intense kite flying battles of the day, they decided to make do with the messed up dhoklas. To spice it up they added some masala powders, oil/butter and some green chutney on side. They also sprinkled freshly fried sev on top for added taste.

And little did they know – that messy dhokla dish was the new big hit that would eventually put Surat on the map for a lot of foodies (okay, that is an exaggeration).

The Locho got really popular and now there are multiple outlets across the city. Not just that, there are a plethora of variations of this Locha dish. Garlic Locho, Manchurian Locho (!!), Cheese Locho and what not.

Locho variations with their cost at Janni Locho, Parle Point, Surat

I have had the Locho twice. Both times I stuck to the simple Oily or Buttery variation.

And every time I marveled at how seemingly unhealthy it was and yet there is something quite appealing about the dish. Suratis can be considered fairly serious foodies. So I would pay heed to their popular food choices. Earlier I had written about my Ponk stop near Surat. That was on my first trip to this city. That time also I had the Locho but didn’t find it so tasty.

Recently, I went on a second trip and had the Locho again. This one was a lot better. I really liked the mix of different tastes. There was a tangy masala powder and salty sev sprinkled on it, quite a bit of oil and sweet green chutney on side. With every bite there are many tastes that mingle in the mouth. It was enjoyable. And recommended.

The first time I had locho was in a place opposite the Surat railway station. But it wasn’t that good. The second time I had it at Jani Locho at Parle Point, which I see is highly recommended online, and it was quite delicious. And right behind Jani Locho is the ‘Locho house’, which is also very good. They also have some other snacks like Jain patti samosas made of cheese and paneer and such.

Have you had the Locho? Tell me about it. And share any good Locho joints to visit if you know.