Stir Fry Green Beans with Mushrooms and Water Chestnuts

I posted the first Stir Fry On The Grill post way back in 2010.  I've done a lot more Stir Fryin' on the Grill since then, but I haven't got back to this series as far as blogging, so it's time to remedy that.  This is a nice little stir fry side dish recipe that I did back in 2010 as well, and it has sat on the ole' hard drive since then.  Since we're clearing house this month, getting ready for changes to the blog, I thought I'd get this one out there.

To refresh everyone's memory, stir frying in a wok on my grills was an idea I got after seeing a photo in our wok cookbook of someone in China cooking in a wok that was sitting directly on a bed of charcoal, in this case, in a metal paint can. 

I thought to myself, self, I can do that, and I don't have to use no paint can--I've got a Weber kettle grill.

Anyway, I soon discovered this wasn't really an original idea--Weber even makes a special wok ring for stir frying on their grills, but I've decided that I don't need to get that fancy, placing the wok down in the coals like the guy with the paint can works just fine--in fact, I think it works better.  Direct contact with the coals really gets the wok scorching hot, and that's what you want.  A good wok is born of fire and high heat, and they can handle the same whilst cooking, and that high heat translates to that special flavor that all good stir fry has known as 'Wok Hei," or "Breath of the Wok."  It's really hard to describe this flavor, other than to say its just that extra 'uumph' the flavor gets to when stir fried very quickly over very high heat.  Trust me, this direct-on-the-charcoal method gets it.

Green Beans with Mushrooms and Water Chestnuts


8 oz Fresh Green Beans
8 oz Fresh  Mushrooms
6 oz Water Chestnuts
1/4 Cup Chicken Broth
1 Teaspoon White Pepper
2 Tablespoons Peanut Oil
1 Tablespoon Fresh Ginger
3 Cloves Garlic

Fire up your charcoal grill.  For this session, I'm using my little Weber Smokey Joe as a sort of side burner, as I had some Kung Pao Chicken going on the big Weber.

My 14 inch carbon steel wok fits perfectly in the little Smokey Joe.

Place your wok in a similar fashion over the coals (or on your stove, if you must) and let it got fiery hot.  When it's there, swirl in the peanut oil around the sides of the wok and add the water chestnuts.

Let them sit for 30 seconds, then stir fry 'em for a minute or two, until they just begin to get golden in color.

Add the mushrooms.

Stir fry these for a minute or so.

Add the green beans.

Stir fry this for two minutes,

then clear a little well in the center and toss in the ginger and garlic right on the wok surface.  Let sizzle for 15-20 seconds, then stir all together.  Mix the white pepper with the chicken broth and then swirl it into the wok.  Stir fry this for another 30 seconds or so, then pull off the heat.

Serve immediately, or, if you want, pose for a photo with your creation, as I've done here.

Until next time,

Wok 'em if you got 'em,


Chris