Place the water, chickpeas, and baking soda in a large bowl and soak for 12 hours.

Drain the soaked chickpeas (or the canned chick peas) and the garlic and place in a medium saucepan and cover with 2 inches of salted water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 40 minutes. Drain, reserving 2/3 cup of the chick pea water, and rinse with warm water.

If you can't find tahini, while the chickpeas boil heat a clean, dry heavy duty skillet over medium high heat and add the sesame (or sunflower) seeds. Stir frequently until they begin to turn golden brown and then stir constantly. Be careful not to burn them.

Add the chickpeas, garlic, tahini or roasted seeds, lemon juice, salt, cumin and reserved water, to the bowl of a food processor and process for 3 minutes, drizzling in ¼ cup of olive oil. Taste and add salt if needed.

To serve, transfer to a bowl, garnish with your desired add ins and drizzle with olive oil.