Discovered on Miyakojima!? A mysterious rice ball named "Healthy"

[1005 Rice Balls] Miyagi Kamaboko Shop (Miyakojima) Healthy

This is an onigiri report where I search for and introduce onigiri from all over Japan that I have yet to see.
I had reached my goal of 1,000 consecutive days and thought about ending it, but...There are still so many onigiri all over Japan that I haven't reported on yet! So, it has been decided that I will continue!
What I want to introduce this time is a mysterious onigiri I spotted on Miyakojima.

You might ask why I didn't reveal such an onigiri during the Miyakojima series and kept it hidden.
I will include the reason for that in this report.

Speaking of Miyakojima, there is Miyako Mamoru-kun.
It was even in a song before, wasn't it?

"Miiyako, Miyako, Mamoru-kun~♪"

By the way, all the Mamoru-kuns on Miyakojima were wearing masks.
Important!

It was just around the time of the sea opening, but...

I even made the huge blunder of missing it despite being nearby!

I want to make up for this with my onigiri report.

I searched for onigiri everywhere on the island.
I went not only to the Sea Station and Island Station, but also to supermarkets like MaxValu, Kanehide, and San-A.

I searched thoroughly not just in the bento section, but in other sections as well.
Onigiri...
Onigiri...

Ah.

I found it...
I discovered that there is something like a mysterious onigiri in the refrigerated section of every supermarket I visited on Miyakojima.

It's called "Healthy"

What on earth...
What is Healthy?

A name I've never heard before.
Is it really a rice ball?

Tell me, tropical sun!

(The Miyakojima sun just gave a sly smile, haha)

I want you all to see it too.

This was on the store shelf ↓

Brown rice ball? Fish cake?

What, what, what?

I have no idea!

When I looked it up, I found out that the shop making this is near the public market.

Alright, let's go!

Miyagi Kamaboko Shop.
It seems to be a very famous, long-established fish cake shop among the locals.So that's where that "Healthy" is made!

By the way, Miyakojima fish cakes are different from the white or pink ones you eat in Tokyo; they are deep-fried fish or squid paste.
It's easier to understand if you imagine something like satsuma-age (fried fish cake).

I'll go ahead and step inside the shop.
Then, an even bigger shock...

There's a black one too!

It seems this "Healthy" comes in two varieties: "Normal" and "Black".
By the way, the black one is made with squid ink.

Apparently, "Healthy Kamaboko" is a fish cake with a rice ball inside.

On the main island of Okinawa, there's something called a "Bakudan Onigiri" (bomb rice ball), which is a fish cake containing seasoned rice or black rice, and this "Healthy" is the brown rice version of that.
It's quite a name that sounds good for your health.

When I asked the shop staff, they said that in the past, you could buy and eat them freshly made.

They told me that now, as soon as they are made, they are all vacuum-packed, so you can't eat them fresh.

That's a bit of a shame...
I'll buy some to take home as a souvenir for myself.

Three weeks have passed since then.
I kept them vacuum-packed and refrigerated, but the expiration date is finally approaching.I'd better eat them soon.

So, I've decided to eat them while reminiscing about my memories of Miyakojima.

Oh, that's right.
The shop staff told me to make sure to heat them up before eating.

Hmm, hmm.
Two minutes in the microwave, right.Okay! Okay!

Ding! (That's old-fashioned)

It's done!
A hot, hot round ball rolls out.

So this is Healthy Kamaboko!
It smells delicious.

I can't wait any longer.
Digging in!

Nom, nom.
Let's break open the outer kamaboko layer.

Whoa.
A generous amount of chewy brown rice, red rice, millet, sticky rice, and adzuki beans has appeared.

The surrounding kamaboko layer is seasoned much more intensely than I imagined.
It pairs perfectly with the chewy rice inside.

This is actually quite delicious.
And, it's super healthy!!!

Next time, I want to try the black version too.

The mysterious rice ball I found on Miyakojima, "Healthy Kamaboko"
What was wrapping it wasn't a mystery, but rich, flavorful kamaboko.

That was a delicious meal!

Found on the main island of Okinawa! Here's another look at the jet-black mysterious rice ball.