Khari biscuits are traditionally made with plenty of dalda(trans fats) — this is what keeps them crisp and yet able to melt in your mouth at the same time. The ghee-like taste is ever prevalent in each bite. However, this food can never be healthy! Khari biscuits may have been eaten by your healthy 90 year old grandfather but that doesn’t make it any better for you. Chances are that your grandfather didn’t indulge in pastries and chips and he probably walked a few miles a day!
Nevertheless the food marketers are trying to re-package this food as healthy. This brand of khari bisuits are made by the Future Group and can be found at Big Bazaar(also owned by the Future Group of companies).
“Freshly baked” and “Wheat Khari,” “Methi Khari,” “Jeera Khari,” and “Maska Khari” appear to be good for you. Khari biscuits have always been baked so there is nothing new with the cooking process.
Let’s examine the ingredients on the wheat variety: Maida, Wheat, Ghee, Salt, Emulsifier, Water, Class II Preservative, and Added Flavours.
This is a classic case of deceptive ingredient listing. There are no amounts or percentages listed and maida and wheat are the same product! “Whole wheat” is the atta used to make our traditional chapatis and although there might be some atta in this product there will be very little compared to the maida content. These kharis are mass produced and mass production requires an extremely high amount of heat. This high temperature inhibits the crispiness of the biscuits. For maintaining crispness dough conditioners with various raising agents are added. To mask the taste of these additives, other additives are used, all making for a unhealthy food.
There are 376 calories in 100 grams or about 19-20 of these kharis — each one has about 20 calories. The fat content is high with about 19% fat.
Bottom Line: This product as well as other khari bisuits are to be avoided!
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