[1] The pickle consists of a whole head of various varieties of Chinese mustards and cabbages (芥菜 (leaf mustard), 油菜 (rape), 白菜 (Chinese cabbage) that has undergone an elaborate process consisting of drying, steaming, and salting.

It is then salted or brined, kneaded until the juices are exuded, and left to ferment in large clay urns for 15 to 20 days.

[1] This pickled vegetable is used to flavor stews, in particular, meigan cai cooked with pork (梅菜扣肉), a classic dish from Hakka cuisine.

[3] In this dish, slices of pork belly are parboiled and then deep-fried before being steamed with meigan cai.

Meigan cai can also be used as a filling for baozi, known as meicaibao (梅菜包), and to make pork belly bao buns (梅菜扣肉包).