How to throw an Asian-themed dinner party

1. Pick your Asian color theme

When you are hosting an Asian dinner party, the most important thing other than the food is the decorating theme. Having a unifying color theme will go a long way in helping you tie different items together. The color theme will also create a visually stunning "wow" effect that will earn you more kudos than the time you spent on it.

What are common colors to evoke an Asian theme?

- Red: not pink, not burgundy, but bright simple red. Red is auspicious (lucky) in most East Asian cultures, and the key is to pair it with black accents. Red and black instantly evoke a happy East Asian effect!

- Saffron: golden yellow, the color of fire. This is an ubiquitous Indian color, found in saris, curries, and the vibrant hues of everyday India. Pair saffron with darker yellows or burnt oranges as accents.

- Green: go zen, Japanese-style. Have quiet light greens and beiges to evoke a calm zen garden.

2. Buy your decorating knick-knacks

Once you have decided on your color theme, first, look in your house for decorative items that fit that color theme. Examples: throws, pillows, lighting, posters, picture frames, candles, etc. Aggregate them in your entertainment area and witness the stunning visual effect. Clean out any clutter that clashes with your color theme, and try to keep the room to just 2-3 complementary colors, like red and black.

Then, go to Chinatown or Indiatown or Koreatown, to purchase inexpensive knick-knacks and party favors. Try little items like red paper lanterns, paper fans, pillow covers, etc. The trick is to throw in accents here and there, not completely inundate your room with kitschy clutter.

3. Choose your introductory playlist

Nowadays, you can download entire playlists easily from iTunes. Go to the iTunes and search for "Chinese music" for more traditional spa-like Chinese instrumental music. For contemporary pop music, do a search for popular Hong Kong singer "Andy Lau" and shop around his peers' albums too. Listen to the sample before buying. Remember, you don't need to buy dozens of songs to fill up the entire night. You just need about 8-10 songs at the beginning of the party to set the mood. As the dinner gets going, you can switch to your regular dinner party playlist.

4. Plan your menu - jazz up your favorite Asian dishes!

Good news - grocery stores these days have plenty of frozen Asian appetizers that you can bring home and heat up in the oven. They taste yummy, and your friends won't know you didn't wrap those wontons yourself. The trick is to mix homemade-from-scratch dishes with a couple of store-bought treats. Another trick is to leverage two of the kitchen's best-kept entertaining tools - the slow-cooker and the oven. These are "start it and forget it" type cooking tools. You do not have to wok-fry everything!

Key Courses:

a. Store-bought appetizers like wontons, orange chicken, spring rolls, mini crab cakes. Pop these in the oven 15 minutes before your friends arrive, and the yummy smell will awe your friends.  Put toothpicks in each of the baked orange chicken nuggets and whet your friends' taste buds.  To make a simple Asian dip for your mini crab cakes - mix some soy sauce with wasabi (comes in a tube at the grocery store), or grated fresh ginger. Voila! Your friends will be so impressed.

b. Indian or Thai curries in slow cookers. With a packet of curry mix from the grocery store, I throw in chicken or beef, potatoes, carrots, onions, a can of coconut milk (or regular milk) and let the slow cooker do its work. 6 hours later, you have a delicious crowd-pleasing curry that looks like you spent all day making.

c. Asian salads. These are great because you can make them ahead of time and dress them minutes before you're ready to serve. What makes a salad Asian? The dressing! Try a store-bought gourmet Asian dressing, or make your own simple dressing with ponzu sauce (Japanese citrus soy sauce) spiked with sesame oil, and fresh grated ginger. Easy as 1-2-3!

d. Rice pilaf or naan. Trader Joe's (and I'm sure, your neighborhood grocery store) has great frozen garlic naan and mixed rice pilafs that are flavorful and easy to prepare. Great time savers too. Jazz up the rice pilaf with crushed almonds or cilantro. By the way, the naan or rice will go great with your curry.

e. Asian desserts. Simple Asian desserts like mango ice cream, or mochis are always crowd-pleasers. The best thing to do is to find your nearest Asian grocery store and get some frozen dessert treats. Your friends won't complain that you didn't make the ice cream from scratch. Pair mango ice cream with coconut shavings or even a banana to make it an Asian banana-split!

5. Get in the mood!

Finally, ensure your party is an Asian-themed success by inviting your friends to get in the mood! Ask that they come in Asian-themed clothing, or contribute an Asian-themed beverage, like Korean soju or Japanese sake. They can also contribute their favorite Bollywood movie theme song, or bring their playlist of favorite Cantopop music. The key is to include your guests in the party theme, and make it a topic of conversation and fun! Enjoy!