Place the garlic and chickpeas in the food processor and pulse a few times. Add 3 teaspoons of the sesame oil, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, and salt and pepper. Puree, and with the motor running, add about ⅓ cup of the water. Allow the mixture to process for about two minutes, adding more water if you’d like a thinner consistency. Taste and add additional sesame oil if desired.
Transfer to a serving bowl, drizzle with a bit of olive oil if you like, and sprinkle with the paprika or cayenne.
Notes
Sesame oil is literally oil pressed from sesame seeds. You cant to buy toasted sesame oil, not raw sesame oil, which doesn’t have as pronounced a nutty flavor. Raw sesame oil is often used for cooking/frying in Asian cuisine. Toasted sesame oil is more potently sesame-ish than tahini, so start with a smaller amount than you would normally use of tahini – say 1 tablespoon, blend it up, and taste and add more if you want a more pronounced sesame flavor.
I've read that sunflower butter is a smart substitute for tahini in hummus, which makes sense (especially if there are sesame allergies in the house).
Skip the sesame oil for a simpler chickpea dip. Then the flavors of lemon and cumin and garlic really shine through, along with the chickpeas of course. This isn't really hummus, but it's delicious.