hi travelman
you seem to be getting mixed up. you 1st remove the oil so as to blend the veggies you see if you left the oil in it would be blended into the sauce

then you would have to top up with water and put it back on the heat to simmer so the oil would rise again. you then replace the removed oil back in the pan. if you have ever been in a kitchen of an indian restaurant you would see a big pot of gravy sitting on the cooker with a layer of oil on top. some remove it to another pot which then reused to cook the final curries in. some scoop the oil straight from the top of the pot it varies from place to place

if you follow the methods of bruce to cook your curries in the future you will not be disapppointed 1 exception is for the first ladle evaporate it off with the spices but 1st ensure that the spices are cooked first. a good tip is to take in the methods that are used in the demos..... life is so simple when
they know how ;D
hope this clears up you quandry fellow curry addict( not yet you soon will be)
regards
gary