Cooking for guests becomes far less stressful when the menu has a clear structure. For eight to twelve people, choose one starter, two mains, one rice or bread, two accompaniments and one dessert rather than making every dish elaborate.
A balanced menu can pair a rich gravy such as Dal Makhani with a chickpea or vegetable dish, rice or rotis, yoghurt, pickle and a fresh salad. A small sweet course is usually enough when the main meal is generous.
Prepare the shopping list by recipe, then combine repeated ingredients. This avoids buying three separate bunches of herbs or opening more containers than necessary. Mark which dishes can be cooked ahead and which must be finished close to serving.
Serve in stages. Put the starter out first, keep the mains warm without overcooking them and bring the sweet after the table has had a pause. This keeps the host from trying to place every dish on the table at once.
Most importantly, leave one simple fallback: extra rice, roti dough, yoghurt or a quick dry vegetable. It gives you room to respond if guests arrive hungry or the main dish finishes faster than expected.